


Will, the puppy

by nat_oliver



Category: Hannibal (TV), Hannibal Lecter Series - All Media Types
Genre: A lot of comfort, Alana ships Hannigram, Angst, Bathing/Washing, Don't you dare to try to hurt Hannibal's puppy, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Fanart Included, Fluff and Angst, Fluffy, Gentle Sex, Gentleness, Hannibal is Hannibal, Hannibal is NOT a manipulative bastard, Hannibal is a Cannibal, Hannibal saves Will from the guy who raped him, Hannigran AU, He eats the rudes, He is good to Will, Hurt!Will, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Master/Slave, Past Child Abuse, Past Rape/Non-con, Possessive Hannibal, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protective Hannibal, Protectiveness, Slave!Will, Traumatized Will, Will Needs a Hug, Will is the cutest thing ever, Will learns self-defense, and they do it again on chapter 29, edited by a beta!, hannibal and Will finally do it on chapter 25, past Hannibal/Alana
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-11-19
Updated: 2014-08-04
Packaged: 2018-01-02 01:30:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 30
Words: 56,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1050940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nat_oliver/pseuds/nat_oliver
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hannibal goes hunting and something unexpected happens. He finds a boy who was kept on a leash like a dog in the victim's house. Hannibal thinks about killing him, because he can not afford to have witnesses but then, he looks into the eyes of the boy and everything changes. <br/>Very sad in the beginning, but it gets fluffy eventually.</p><p> </p><p>A special thanks to my friend who is helping me with edition and grammar mistakes, and for the lovely fanart made by a reader. I love you all!!!</p><p>Beta- bljohnlock<br/>Cover - HaleyVon</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everybody!!  I hope you like this new fic!  
> Please, forgive me for my English.  Send your suggestions and comments please!!!
> 
> Edited 29/06/2014

 

                                               

 

 

The reason why Hannibal Lecter was inside a car parked on a street corner in a disgusting neighborhood at two in the morning was simple indeed. He was hunting.

Earlier that afternoon, the psychiatrist went to the Coffee Shop near his office. He had a cup of coffee in his hand, precious coffee, hot and sweet. It is no secret that a good coffee greatly improves a person's mood and Hannibal had to agree. After listening to the bullshits of his patients all day long, he loved to be able to give himself that pleasure. He always took the coffee cup from the barista's hands with a small smile, and maybe not even Hannibal knew that.

Hannibal was leaving the shop, walking towards the curb where his car was parked. His blond hair was tousled by the unexpected wind and his amber eyes took time to adjust to sunlight, but he didn't mind. He was in good mood. After all, the day was sunny, a patient had canceled his appointment ( _thank God_ ), and he finally had his precious coffee. Nothing, absolutely nothing could ruin this day. Except...

He had not seen the man coming towards him cause he was taking a sip of his coffee, happy and carefree. They collided. In a split second Hannibal had coffee in his hair and his suit was, in a word, ruined.

The Ripper inside him only took a second to analyze the situation. That _Pig_ in front of him was wearing a dirty pair of jeans with grease stains and his jacket was not in better conditions. He was tall and out of shape, his hair was cut in military style and he reeked of cheap beer. The man looked at Hannibal with drunken eyes.

Hannibal could have forgiven the crash; Hannibal could have forgiven the fact that he just had a bath of coffee and the fact that one of his favorite suits was ruined. Part of this was his fault for he was not paying attention. Accidents can always happen. But then the man had to seal his fate being rude.

"Watch where you walk, asshole!"  He screamed and spat in Hannibal's shoes.

Hannibal held his breath. " _1,2,3,4..."_ he mentally counted to ten and smiled. He had made his decision.

"I'm sorry, sir." He said to the man who snorted and walked away, limping.

Hannibal threw the empty cup in a dumpster nearby and watched as the man crossed the street and walked toward his old truck, which he got inside. Hannibal took a pen from the inside pocket of his jacket and wrote in his hand the number of the plate of the car of his soon-to-be prey as he walked away from that street towards his office.

A quick Internet research revealed to him that the car belonged to Andrew Webber, age 40, retired soldier. He had quit because of an injury that left him lame in one leg. He worked at a car repair shop and lived in Baltimore. He had no wife or children. Easy prey. Hannibal managed to find Andrew's address in less than five minutes of research. Funny things you can find on the Internet. This Andrew Webber would pay for his rudeness, just in time, because Hannibal's fridge was getting empty.

Hannibal remained inside his car 'til the right time, whence he could see the house of his prey. Hannibal was patient. He waited until all the house lights were off and then he waited a little longer, allowing time until Webber was asleep.

The Chesapeake Ripper rose.

Hannibal got out of the car and opened the trunk. He grabbed his briefcase with all the necessary apparatus to kill his prey and turns it into something of value, since this was his work: taking from the society these lowly creatures. Killing Andrew Webber was a favor that he paid to the world. A brief research on the Internet also told him that he had been arrested a few times for inappropriate behavior near a school. That was an understatement to say that he was a pervert. Hannibal never saw himself as a vigilante, but he felt a special pleasure in killing his prey when he knew that the victim was not a victim at all. He walked calmly to that house across the street and into the darkness of the night. No one saw him.

The Ripper reached the back door of the house. He wore latex gloves and a plastic apron. He wouldn't get dirty with that pig's blood and leave any trace. He turned the doorknob, finding it open. Again, easy prey.

The back door opened into the kitchen. The disgusting smell that invaded his sensitive nose was almost enough to make him puke. The whole house looked like a pigsty. Papers were thrown to the floor, next with pizza boxes and old newspapers. What a filthy place.

Webber lived alone, so he would have no problem in killing him in his own house. He found the stairs to the second floor and climbed it with no difficulty in the darkness. There were three doors upstairs, Hannibal tested one by one, until he found Webber's bedroom.

Silently, he got in the bedroom and saw that the man was fast asleep, snoring loudly. The smell of sweat and beer were poignant and Hannibal mused that perhaps the man was in an alcoholic coma.

Hannibal placed his briefcase on the floor and grabbed his beloved silver sharp scalpel. He smiled again, remembering the play "Sweeney Todd", a show he had attended and applauded.

" _These are my friends, see how they glisten. See how this one shines, how he smiles in the light. My friends, my faithful friends..._ " He sang softly regardless of whether the man was waking up or not, after all, he should be so high that Hannibal doubted that he would be awake when he finally cut his throat.

He approached the bed with the scalpel in his hand and he was right, Webber didn’t open his eyes as Hannibal cut his throat and saw his blood squirting. Soon, Webber was dead; the sheets wet and red underneath him.

The killer smiled. He loved that part.

He had walked away from the body. Now he had work to do. He returned to where he had left his briefcase on the floor and knelt. For now he would need other tools to get the organs that he would prepare carefully and savor with delight after making his art. He wiped his scalpel when something caught his eye. Hannibal heard a noise in the room, so low that if it were not for his acute hearing, he would not have noticed. It sounded like a whining dog. He stood slowly, paying attention because he did not know where the sound came from. Then he heard it again and realized that the sound had come from under the bed.

He held his scalpel tight and silently approached the bed. The sheets touched the floor and hid who or what was there. Hannibal bent down and with a quick motion, lifted the sheet.

Hannibal knelt and looked. He had to stifle a surprised expression.

Under the bed was a boy, or at least that creature that looked like one. He was huddled, lying on the cold hard floor in a fetal position. He had his eyes shut tight, and was shaking. The sound that Hannibal had thought to be a dog was actually a sobbing boy.

A witness? Who was that boy? This was not in his plans. The files had said that Webber lived alone.

Hannibal was angry. How could he have missed that? He was so calm and sure that this would be an easy job that had missed the most basic rule; **_check the place_**.

What would he do with this boy now? This was a setback, an obstacle that he would have to get rid of.

Angrily, Hannibal leaned over and with his free hand he tried to reach the boy, but the boy started screaming and thrashing. Angrier, Hannibal almost went under the bed too, stretching his body so to pick up the boy. When he finally managed to reach the boy's arm, the boy struggled even more, but Hannibal was stronger and managed to drag him out of the bed, squeezing his wrist to the point of making him scream.

Hannibal was angry. He was angry with himself for being careless and he was angry with the boy. Yes, he was angry with the boy. Why did he have to be there to disrupt Hannibal? The Ripper hated setbacks. Hannibal drew him away from the bed, he was half blind by rage, and he would have dragged the boy outside the room if something hadn't made him stop. It was as if the boy had clung on something not to be dragged, but no. When Hannibal looked back, he realized that the boy had a collar on the neck, attached to a chain tied to the bedpost.

Hannibal looked at him for a moment and went into shock.

The boy was naked, dirty from head to toe, his little body curled up like a ball. His skin was pale and even with that poor lighting, he could see that his body was covered with bruises and wounds, and his curly black hair covered his forehead. He was not a child; he was fifteen years old, or something close to that. The boy smelled as if he had not take a bath in a long time.  

Hannibal would kill him; he really would kill him.

The boy cowered and trembled as if Hannibal was the devil himself. The boy tried to get back to under the bed, but Hannibal held him tight by the shoulders and for a second their eyes met… and everything changed


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, thank you for the comments!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
> Keep reading and send suggestions!!!!
> 
> Edited 29/06/2014

Those eyes were sapphire blue. Big blue eyes, frightened and wet, he stared at Hannibal with the most miserable of the looks. Hannibal had never seen eyes like that; the fear in those eyes was something almost palpable. He saw fear, he saw pain; he saw a broken creature.

Hannibal enjoyed looking into the eyes of his victims and seeing the fear. The fear that his victims felt gave him pleasure. But the fear in the eyes of that boy caused him a different feeling. It caused him to feel pity.

He did not like that.

Hannibal tightened his grip on the boy's arms and suddenly the boy was silent and motionless, stopping crying, just quietly sobbed and shook from head to toe.

"Who are you?" Hannibal asked, his voice intimidating and the boy remained silent, sobbing. "Who are you?" Hannibal shook his shoulders harder and the boy tensed and started to hyperventilate.

Oh, great!

"Hey, boy. Breathe." Hannibal didn't know what else to say. He was caught off guard by this situation. "Come on, breathe."

The boy seemed increasingly terrified by Hannibal.

The killer was still holding the boy by the shoulders and was starting to get worried. In a similar situation, he would have gotten rid of the witness, but he was frozen. He did not know why, but he just could not think clearly. He was worried, worried about the boy.

Hannibal then looked at his collar. It was a leather collar, but it had a padlock. In amazement he noticed that there was a silver dog's plaque there. He reached out to touch the plaque and the boy froze. Ignoring this, Hannibal reached the plaque and turned it. There was only one thing written on it. _Will_.

"Will? Is that your name? " Hannibal asked and the boy did not answer. Hannibal hissed before saying in a firm voice. "Listen to my voice, Will. Breathe. I will not hurt you. See how I breathe? Follow me."

To give an example, Hannibal breathed slowly a couple times. The boy looked at him and began to calm down, slowing his breathing.

"Good, very good." Hannibal said, calmer too.

The boy tried to pull from his hands again, and he succeeded this time, but he fell seated on the floor and he ended up looking at the bed where Webber's body laid lifeless. His eyes widened and the boy turned to Hannibal with an expression he could not decipher. Then to his surprise, the boy spoke in a voice so low it was barely a whisper.

"Did you kill him?" His eyes were filling with tears.

Holy shit. What Hannibal could say?

"Yes." he replied dry.

At that moment, the boy ran up to him. For a moment, his predatory instincts told him that maybe the boy would attack him to avenge the dead man, and Hannibal was more than surprised to see that the boy had thrown himself to his feet, bowed in reverence.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you..."

Hannibal could not believe what was happening to him. The boy was a victim, a real victim. Judging by his dismal state and his reaction to seeing the corpse, he was being brutalized by this man since a long time.

Hannibal looked at the corpse. He would not do anything; he would not make his art. He turned away from the bowed creature in front of him; he put his knife back in his bag and lifted it off the floor. He would go away. He went to the door, but then he turned and looked at the boy. _Will_. He was repeating " _Thank you,_ " again and again. Hannibal could have just gone out and left the boy there. Maybe he would call the police informing strange noises in the house. The police would find the body, and since he had done nothing but cut his throat, it was not technically a crime of the Ripper. The police would find the boy and take care of him. He was so broken that no one would believe anything the kid said, if hre managed to say anything. They would take him to the hospital and take care of him. At most, they would put the blame on the kid, but the crime would come as self-defense, then all would be fine. The boy would be fine. However, Hannibal felt something that he wasn't used to feel. Guilt.

He felt no guilt in killing, no. But he felt responsible for the boy now, somehow. He could not just walk out the door as if the boy was not there, as if he didn't needed help.

"I'll end up regretting this; I know that." Hannibal murmured to himself and reached into his briefcase for two pieces of wire.

When he found them, he approached the boy who flinched reflexively.

"Look, Will. I will not hurt you, you hear me?" He leaned over and started to touch the collar when the boy froze again. Hannibal made a mental note that the boy did not like to be touched.

With the skill that years of hunting gave him, Hannibal managed to quickly unlock the padlock on the collar, releasing him.

"Don't move." Hannibal commanded and the boy obeyed. He imagined that Will would be used to taking orders.

He went to the cupboard that stood in the corner. There was not much he could use, but he managed to find a not-so-dirty blanket. He went back to the boy and wrapped the blanket around him, covering his nakedness.

"What am I going to do with you?" He said, sighing.

The answer seemed clear by then.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What Hannibal should do?  
> Fluff things, please.  
> hahahaha


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you very much for reading!!!  
> Comments, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE.
> 
> Edited 30/06/2014

Hannibal Lecter's car was parked in his driveway. He gripped the steering wheel for a moment and looked in the rearview mirror. Will, _the puppy_ , was in the back seat, shrunk and wrapped in a blanket. Needless to say it was a battle to take the little one out of that house because the boy was too weak to walk down the stairs but he did not want Hannibal to touch him and carry him to the car. After half an hour of trail and failure, Hannibal managed to grab the boy by the waist, lifting him off the floor with ease and throwing him over his shoulder. After all, Will was just skin and bone. The boy struggled and screamed as expected, but Hannibal was able to carry him out of the room and out of the house.

Hannibal opened the car door and got out. He stood there, outside the car, as if thinking about something, and then suddenly he opened the backseat door and got back in the car to sit next to the boy. Hannibal just stared at him. The psychiatrist realized that Will was actually older than he thought he was. Instead of fifteen, maybe the boy was eighteen years old. And now that he was looking at him, he could see the stubble on his jaw. The obvious malnutrition made him look younger. Will shrugged and leaned against the opposite door, trying to get away from Hannibal as possible as he could, given the confined space. His gaze was extremely frightened, yes, but Will did not struggle, he just leaned tense at the door.

"Look, Will." Hannibal began to say after a while. "You were not in my plans for tonight. I don't know how much you are aware of what had happened ... "

"You've killed him. Thank you." Will interrupted Hannibal with trembling voice, expressing his gratitude once again, and for the second time that night Hannibal couldn't help but feel awkward. Will was the first person who had seen Hannibal being... _Hannibal_ ... being the Ripper, and his reaction was this, _gratitude_. Hannibal shook his head and said with a heavy voice.

"Answer me Will. Are you aware of what is happening? I just killed your father. "

"He is not my father." Will said, his voice heavy with sadness and he shrank even more, as if the mere memory of that man could hurt him. Hannibal felt a bad thing, a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. "That was the _Bad Man_. He stole me from my family. He said I was his... _puppy_."

"Well, anyway, what I'm trying to tell you, my little one..." This was the first of many times that Hannibal called Will so, "is that I'm in a difficult position now. You've probably noticed that I have no problem with killing people, so don't think you're safe so easily. I have thousands of reasons to protect my privacy at any costs, if you know what I mean." He said with intimidating voice, which was a challenge because eye contact with Will was like falling off a very high place. "So tell me one, Will, just one reason why I shouldn't take the road now. Take you into the woods and finish what I started in that filthy house. Witnesses are something that I can't afford to have."

"Do you want to kill me too? Okay, that’s okay." Will said, looking at the floor of the car. "I tried a few times, but I think you can do it better than me." A tear streaked down his face and fell to the floor.

"How long have you been with him?"

"I don't know. I wasn't grown."

Hannibal felt that twinge in his stomach again. What was that? Pity? Guilt? What? Will was totally different from anything he had ever seen before. There was nothing, absolutely nothing that could be compared to this boy with messy hair and frightened blue eyes, wrapped in a blanket in his car. This kid had seen through his mask as if it had never been there. He thanked the murder of his tormentor as a hungry man thanks for a piece of bread and now he embraced his probable premature death. Hannibal pondered that Little Will must have been so tortured and brutalized that he had already accepted the idea of his own death long ago.

The psychiatrist could imagine the horrors that Will had to face, to think that killing himself would be the only way out. Hannibal could imagine that the poor little thing would lie on the cold floor, huddled and shivering, listening to Webber's footsteps climbing the stairs. He could imagine the boy in all his despair, praying for something sharp to be forgotten near him someday. Not to defend himself from Webber, but to kill himself.

Hannibal diverted his gaze. Looking at Will made him lose focus.

"I believe, Will, you have noticed that if I wanted to kill you, you'd be dead already." Hannibal punctuated with seriousness in his voice.

The boy just nodded.

"Well, I am a person who likes to plan everything. I hate setbacks. They make us act on impulse, loose control and everything always ends up a mess." Hannibal rubbed his eyes for a moment. "I want to get into my home and think about it calmly."

Will nodded again, sniffling.

Hannibal opened the car door and got out, closing it with a bang. He walked around the car and opened the door for Will. Hannibal reached out to the boy to hold his hand, but he just shrunk even more.

"You think you can walk?" Hannibal asked strangely, changing his tone to something more soft.

Will lowered his head and broke into silent tears again.

It was there, at that very moment that the heart of the cold-hearted monster beat for the very first time. He was feeling it since their eyes had met for the first time, but since he never felt like this he was tempted to ignore it or pretend it was something else. He didn't know the pain that he was feeling was not his own, but another person's pain. It was there, as he looked at that little creature that couldn't even stand on his feet. Hannibal felt the unprecedented urge to comfort, to protect, to care. It was a catharsis.

"My little one." Hannibal said again, without realizing that this was the beginning of his downfall.

Hannibal leaned up and took the boy in his arms. The boy struggled, of course, but Hannibal did not hesitate as he did before and held him, taking him from the car and carrying Will like a baby, walking away from the car and into the house. Will stopped struggling after a while and to Hannibal's surprise, he rested his head on his chest.

"What is your name?" Hannibal heard the boy ask, his voice was muffled.

"Hannibal." He said with a serious expression.

He felt the boy sigh.

"My name is not Will. I can't remember what's my name, but you can call me Will if you want to." Hannibal frowned, and as if the boy could see his expression, he quickly amended "It's better than _puppy_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soon...


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so things will get angst before becoming fluffy.  
> Don'tt hate me!  
> This chapter is very sad, so brace yourselves.  
> sniff  
> COMMENTS PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> Edited 30/06/2014

Will did not remember exactly when it happened, when the Bad Man came into his life. It seemed as if it was an eternity ago. Will was seven or eight years old, he was not sure.

The boy remembered that he had had a family once, and he was happy. He remembered a very pretty woman in a kitchen; she had prepared him something to eat and sang as she walked into the kitchen with the grace of a queen. He remembered a man who carried him in his arms and sometimes made him  sleep, telling him stories about fairies and wolves. He even remembered he had a dog, Winston was the name, and he was sure. He vaguely remembered these things, as a person who remembers a film and just cling to the context and not to the details. In fact, all the memories before it all happened, before the bad man catch him, were like another person's memories, like a story that had been told to him, as if it never really happened to him. How could such good memories belong to someone so broken?

However, everything that happened _after_ that was firmly etched in his memory. Will could still remember the first day, the terror he felt while the man dragged him up the stairs towards that bedroom. The bad man said he belonged to him cause his parents didn't want him anymore. He said that Will had been a very bad boy and his parents sent him to be punished. So he belonged to Bad Man now, and since he was doing the charity to keep Will, he would do whatever he wanted, and Will could not complain. The man took off his clothes and put that collar on his neck.

"You're my little puppy now." Will could still see the smirk on the Webber's face. He said that his name would be _Will_ now, but eventually he just called the boy _puppy._

Will could remember that Webber hit him that day, so hard that Will fainted. " _Why is this happening_?" He thought in despair as his owner beat him. _"What have I ever done to deserve this? Why don’t my parents want me anymore? Was I a bad boy? I can be good again. If he stops hitting me and hear me, I can tell him that I'll be good. I want to go home."_ But Will could not speak because Webber didn’t stop hitting him until the boy was unconscious.

In the first few days, it was more or less like this. The boy woke up and there was no inch of his body that was not aching. By the morning, Webber threw him a piece of pizza for him to eat. It was rotten and he ate in disgust but he did anyway because there would be nothing to eat until Webber returned at night. His stomach ached with hunger, but this was a pain that he learned to ignore over the days. Will couldn't leave that room, ever. His collar was attached to a chain. His owner let him out once a day so the boy could use the bathroom and it was only then that he could walk and stretch his body a bit, otherwise, he would remain sitting or lying on the floor, waiting to be beaten. That's how he found out that the less he drank water, less uncomfortable it would be to expect to be released to use the bathroom, then he was always thirsty. So when night fell, Will would hear the noise of the car of his owner and he would tremble in fear. Webber would get in the room and beat Will, he would throw him another disgusting piece of pizza and lay on his bed to sleep. Will slept on the cold floor. He crawled to under the bed because it was like a shelter, where he could not see anything or be seen. Every night he cried praying to wake up in his bed at his home, with his parents and his dog Winston, but no matter how much he prayed; he always woke up in that room with the collar hurting his neck.

The first days elapsed in absolute terror. Then the _bad_ _thing_ began to happen. Nightly. It was painful and humiliating and once again Will thought, _"What have i done so wrong anyway? I have not been punished enough? Why my parents don't come to pick me? I want to go home, all I want is to go home,”_ he cried, but Webber never heard it.

The boy had never been bent before a good fight, at least _that_ he could do. He kicked, screamed, bit, kicked, scratched, he did everything not to let the _bad thing_ to happen, but he was only a child, small and weak, and there was nothing he could do about it.

The days became weeks, weeks became months and when the months began to pass, Will began to lose track of things. Suddenly, he could not remember the faces of his parents, or what day it was, and even his own name. All he knew was that his owner would come at night and hurt him if he didn't let the _bad thing_ happen. Will had no hope and no dreams. Everything was a big nightmare from which he knew he would never wake up.

As time went on, Will stopped fighting and talking. No reason to do so, it was a waste of time and breath. When Webber threw him on the bed to do the bad thing he did not fight anymore. He just stood still, trying to make his brain turns off. Sometimes he could do that, sometimes he couldn't, but it was hard while Webber kept telling him he was a slut. One day he realized that his body was different than it was before. He was taller and he had hair growing where he never had hair before. That was how he knew he was no longer a child, but a teenager.

The first time Will had tried to kill himself was a few years later and it was a mess. He had found a bottle of bleach in the bathroom when Webber had unleashed him, and he just drank the product. He vaguely remembered that it was one of the things that children could not touch because it was dangerous, then with logic he thought it would do the trick. He was wrong. Will was on the brink of despair. He simply could no longer live like that. Will tried again several times after that, always failing.

Will had already accepted the fact that he had died in some point of this torture and that it was hell indeed. As one of those things that you hear and never forget, Will once heard even so young, that the definition of Hell is the repetition of something terrible that had happened in your life. Then there was a hell, and Will was in it.

He did not dream. He had terrible nightmares every night and he always woke up screaming and crying, only to be punched by Webber who yelled at him to go to back sleep. But Will could not sleep anymore, when he slept the monsters came and caught him, and it was not just one, but a lot of monsters all at once.

*****

That night, Webber had gotten more drunk than usual and he didn't bothered to drag Will out from under the bed to throw him on the bed and do the _bad thing_. He just got in the room and collapsed on the bed, forgetting the existence of his puppy. Will was glad about it, even if it meant he didn’t eat, it was still better than be raped.

The boy was sleeping, but woke up when he heard footsteps in the house. Will was always on guard. He was a very light sleeper (or he didn’t sleep at all). Instead of warning his owner that there was an intruder in the house, like a good puppy should do, Will remained silent and paralyzed. He heard the door being open and those steps were inside the room. He heard a man sing something softly and Will began to tremble with fear. What would he do?

Then all was quiet.

Will began to think that all this had been his mind playing a prank. It was nothing new. He was so tired of it, all he wanted was to disappear. The boy began to cry. He was so broken, tired, hungry. All he wanted was to die.

It was then that it happened.

Hannibal had moved the sheet and for a moment Will thought he was a monster, a monster that had come to hurt him, just like Webber and the others. When Hannibal grabbed his arm and dragged him out the bed he thought it had finally happened, finally one of the monsters of his dreams had managed to find him and now it would be his end. But then, it was Hannibal.

When Hannibal grabbed his shoulders and shook him, he just panicked. He thought he was going to die eventually. Then he saw the dead body of Webber there with his open throat. He could not believe it.

Hannibal was a monster, yes, but he was the monster who had saved him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How many of you cried while reading this chapter?
> 
> Fluff in the next, i promise.  
> keep reading!!!!!!!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bath scene!!  
> Will is like a puppy being bathed!!  
> Comments please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> Edited 30/06/2014

Hannibal carried Will through the house with ease. The psychiatrist was in great physical shape, and Will was nothing compared to dead weights that Hannibal used to carry. He carried the boy upstairs, leading him through the second floor hallway.

Will had become silent after they entered the house and when Hannibal stopped to look at his face, he saw that the boy had fallen asleep. He must be really exhausted, physically and mentally.

The psychiatrist stood there with the boy in his arms for a moment, thinking. What was he doing? Hannibal had never acted on impulse. He prided himself of his self-control, after all, was thanks to this control and planning that Hannibal managed to be doing his art for so long without being caught. He kept repeating to himself that all this was the biggest mistake he could make: he had not only let this witness live; now he was bringing him into his house.

At that moment, he tried to convince himself that he should kill Will and that this would actually be an act of kindness. The boy was so broken; Hannibal thought that Will would not go to back to being normal again. Webber had conditioned him; he had been tortured for so long that no treatment would be effective. Will was too traumatized, and that was the psychiatrist in him talking. If Hannibal did the right thing and took the boy to the hospital, they would send him to an asylum, maybe that one managed by Frederick Chilton, and Hannibal could not think about any other cruelty to do to the little one.

He should kill the boy. Hannibal would see the thing as if Will was indeed a very sick puppy who had to be sacrificed to not suffer anymore. Will was innocent, the most innocent creature that Hannibal had met on his way, and he didn't have to suffer anymore. That was really the right thing to do, in fact, Hannibal could do it right there while the boy slept in his arms. Hannibal would be pious, Will wouldn't feel his neck being broken.

However, he contradicted his common sense, logic and survival instinct as he led Will into his bedroom. He opened the door to the master bedroom and came inside with Will in his arms, taking him directly to the bathroom. The cold air of the bathroom hit them as Hannibal closed the bathroom door behind him, and Will shivered and woke. Hannibal gently placed him to sit on the toilet lid. He went to the big tub and turned on the faucet of hot water, testing the temperature of the water before returning to where the boy was and knelt down to the same level of Will's eyes. Hannibal reached out to take the blanket from the boy, but Will flinched in terror.

"Will, you're hurt and you stink. We'll take care of it before you get an infection." He said sympathetically, but he realized that maybe the kid had no idea what 'infection' meant. Then he added, "We have to clean your wounds. Can I take the blanket from you so I can take care of it? ".

Will shook his head and seemed to shrink even more. Again, Hannibal was invaded by the feeling that the boy needed comfort.

"My little one" Hannibal said softly. "I just want to look, I'm not going to hurt you."

Will seemed to think about it for a moment. Hannibal tried again and this time Will flinched again, but allowed Hannibal to undress him. He closed his eyes as if preparing to feel pain. Hannibal took the blanket from Will's shoulders, so that his pale body was exposed and Hannibal could not hold a hiss. Will was covered in old and new bruises, some cuts, scratches and several small scars. Nothing of that was really disturbing, Will didn't need stitches in the cuts and the bruises were healing.

Hannibal looked again at the little creature in front of him and he felt his newfound heart ache. Webber deserved to die, in fact, Hannibal reached the conclusion that he had been too pious to Webber. If the Ripper could go back in time, he would have done Webber suffers long before begging to die. Was Hannibal a murderer? Yes. Was Hannibal a monster? Of course he was, but he had a purpose. The Ripper attacked only the rude; at least he was doing a service to society by removing the scum. But Webber was just cruel.

Will was a child. A child, for God's sake! Small, fragile, unable to defend himself, until-the-last-strand-of-hair-innocent. It was... **_wrong_**.

"Are you in pain, babe?" Hannibal asked, warily.

The boy lowered his head and nodded before breaking into tears again.

"Where does it hurt?" Hannibal approached the boy and, in one gesture that was totally spontaneous, he pushed a strand of hair out of Will's eyes to look at them.

"E-everywhere." Will replied sobbing.

"It's okay, you will take a bath now. It will make you feel better."

Hannibal got up and returned to the tub to see if that was full enough. He took off his jacket and lifted the sleeves of his shirt and tested the water again; it was at the right temperature. He returned to where Will was and raised his hands for the boy to see them before approaching and take the boy in his arms. When Hannibal laid him in the water, the boy struggled.

"Shhh… calm down Will." Hannibal said holding the wrists of the boy who was already immersed in the water. The boy was terrified and started screaming. "What's the problem? The water is too hot or too cold?" Hannibal asked confused.

Hannibal noticed that Will kept his chin up in despair. He was afraid of drowning.

"Oh, I see, it's a lot of water." Hannibal asked and the boy nodded sobbing. "I am here, I won’t let you drown." He tried to show security in his voice. It seemed to work and Will seemed to calm down a bit.

When Hannibal was sure Will was calmer, he pulled back a little to get a washcloth and a liquid soap bottle with lavender scent nearby the tub. First he soaped Will's back, rubbing the washcloth in his skin gently not to hurt the boy even more, but hard enough to let him clean. When he finished he made Will lean back against the tub so Hannibal could repeat the process on his chest. Again, Hannibal raised his hands for Will to see them before touching him. Will turned his face to the other side. He didn't want to see Hannibal touching his chest.

Hannibal cleaned his chest then he went to his legs. When Hannibal's hands began to get close to his hips, the boy struggled again.

"No! It hurts!" Will cried and tried to shrink.

"I'm just cleaning, Will." Hannibal said softly again. He realized that this was the best tone to speak to the boy.

When Hannibal touched Will on his private parts, he realized that the boy muffled his sobs.

"Shhh…" Hannibal said.

Hannibal had cleaned the boy with the utmost delicacy. He pulled away again and grabbed two bottles. The first one was shampoo, Hannibal put some on his hands and massaged Will's hair to make sure it was clean. The smell that invaded the bathroom was also lavender. Then he used the conditioner, spreading the product on his black curls and incredibly Will did not complained about Hannibal's hand in his head, he relaxed just like when Hannibal had carried him in his arms.

When Hannibal finished his task, he stood up and grabbed a white towel from the bathroom counter and he extended it on the toilet lid.

"Can you stand up?" Hannibal said with the right tone.

The boy looked at him with a dazed look. He was falling asleep, Hannibal could tell. A hot bath does wonders. The boy grabbed the edge of the tub and started trying to get up, but he slipped and fell to sit in the tub. Hannibal ran and held him in his arms.

"Come on." He said helping the boy to stand. Again Hannibal carried him, taking Will out of the tub and placing him sitting on the toilet lid. He took another towel from the counter and began drying Will. He wrapped the towel around the boy and with another towel he began to dry his hair. The boy did not like it and began to struggle again.

"Will, if you don't keep still, I will not be able to dry your hair.” Hannibal argued and the boy stopped struggling.

"You own me now?" Will asked suddenly, intriguing Hannibal.

"Why would you ask that?"

"You killed him, my owner. He told me I would only leave his house when he came to die, or worse, when another one came to claim me." Will swallowed. "I'm yours now."

"No. You're not." Hannibal said bothered.

Hannibal then looked at Will. Cleaned, he looked really young. Another thing the bath had revealed was that the bruises were not so few as he was thinking at first.

Hannibal wrapped the towels around the boy and took him in his arms again, bringing him to his bedroom and placing him sitting on the bed. Hannibal went to his closet and looked for something that would fit the boy and found dark blue pajamas. Maybe it would be big for Will, but it was the best he could do at that moment.

He approached the boy and showed him the nightwear.

"What do you think?" Hannibal smiled, but the boy looked away.

"I'm not allowed to wear clothes, it's a rule. If I disobey the rules I will be punished." Will was on the verge of tears again.

Hannibal sat down next to the boy, still with the pajamas in his hands. He stroked his hair.

"Those rules no longer apply. You are free now. "

The boy nodded and reached out to touch the soft fabric. Silk. Hannibal put the clothes in Will's hands and stood up, pulling away toward the bedroom door.

"I'll bring you something to eat."


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everybody!!  
> Thank you for all the feedback, it was amazing!!  
> I love you!!!!
> 
> Edited 30/06/2014

Hannibal went upstairs taking with him a tray with a light meal. Just a simple chicken soup, after all he didn't know how Will's body would react to more complex food after eating almost nothing for so long. He tried the soup and found it was very good. He stopped occasionally to listen to any noise that came from upstairs, but during the half hour he took to made the meal, he didn't heard any noise from his bedroom. Everything was silent and Hannibal thought that maybe there was something wrong going on.

He was walking toward his bedroom where the boy was left alone and he was taken by thoughts.

What was he doing? Only that night he had killed a man, he had saved a boy, he had brought him to his house, and he had bathed him and was now he was bringing chicken soup for him. Hannibal never imagined being able to do what he did. Something must be really wrong with his head. It was interesting to realize that when the two were apart he could think clearly and coldly, but it was just looking into those blue eyes and Hannibal was in a kind of trance state. When he looked into Will's eyes, all he wanted to do was to comfort and protect him. Not wanting to give reason to Webber ( _Burn in hell, you bastard!)_ , But Will's eyes made him look like a puppy, really. Hannibal have never been a fan of dogs, he always found they were lower creatures. He never understood the feeling people have said they felt when they looked to a little helpless puppy. Now he understood. This was the effect Will had over him. The impulse to protect, care… to do everything possible for that being that was so helpless - to feel well and safe. But why had Hannibal felt that? It went against every instinct of survival. Being cold-hearted and ruthless had been part of his life for so long that Hannibal didn't know how to react to these new feelings. He didn't even know what to name then.

Trying not to think about it, Hannibal reached the door of his bedroom and opened it, just to find the room was empty.

"Will?" Hannibal said frowning.

Hannibal stepped into the bedroom. There was a small wooden table with two chairs, a table he used exactly for occasions when he had to ate in his bedroom (because eating in bed was out of the question). He walked toward the table, placed the tray there and looked around.

"Will?" He approached the bed and saw that the shirt of the silk pajama was there, although the pants were not.

Hannibal starting to get really worried and started to call him again, "Wi-". A thousand thoughts were going through his head at that moment and the worst one was that Will had gone. Suddenly, he heard a noise coming from under the bed.

Hannibal let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He was relieved, he didn't know why he felt so relived that Will had not gone, but he was. He ducked, just as he did a few hours ago and slowly lifted the sheet from his bed. Will was there, curled up in the fetal position. He was wearing pajama pants; at least he wasn't naked anymore. He had his eyes wide open and he was hyperventilating. He was having another panic attack. Hannibal could see the boy's face washed with tears. His heart broke to see him so scared.

"Will, come here." Hannibal said with soothing voice and reached for the boy to take his hand.

The boy looked at him with a desperate look, but unlike when Hannibal had found him at Webber's house and the boy had panicked and tried to flee, Will looked at him and began to approach. With trembling hands he took the hand Hannibal had offered and the doctor pulled the boy close.

Hannibal didn't know why felt the urge to do it, but he put his arms around the boy and hugged him while the boy cried and buried his face in his chest. The two were kneeling on the floor.

"What happened, my dear?" Hannibal asked concerned about the state of Will.

"You took so long ... I thought you were gone..." Will said, sobbing.

"I said I'd be back soon." Hannibal pulled back and looked into his eyes. "Were you afraid that I wouldn't come back, that I had abandoned you?"

"I thought it all had been a dream... that you weren't real, that the Bad Man would come back for me..."

"So you hid under the bed?" Hannibal said as he stroked the curls of the boy who nodded. "I killed him, Will. He will not come back. You're safe."

"You promise?" Will sobbed. He looked at Hannibal with those big blue eyes. How come a kid who seemed to have something close to eighteen years old could look so childish at the same time? So helpless and in need of love?

Hannibal had a revelation in that moment. How could he have been so wrong? It was very obvious the feeling that was growing inside him all along this morning. It was _Love_. Plain and simple. Love. A kind of possessive-protective love, the love an owner has for his puppy. But Hannibal would not hurt his little one, no; he would give him the love that had been denied to him all these years of suffering. Hannibal would be affectionate and even if Will showed himself aloof at first, he would learn that he should not feel afraid anymore. No matter how much it would cost or if this was the worse decision of his life. Will was _his_ , and nobody would take him away.

"I promise you, Will. Nobody will hurt you again. Never."

Hannibal hugged him again, stroking the curls of the boy who kept crying.

"Sshhh, it's okay now, my little one. I'll take care of you. I'll protect you. No monster will find you again. I will kill anyone who dare to try, you know I can do it."

Will nodded and Hannibal made him sit on his lap. Not in a sexual context. He was cradling Will as if he was a baby. They stayed like that on the floor for a long time, in which Hannibal comforted Will. Hannibal whispered words of comfort as he hugged the boy rocking back and forth. Will seemed to calm down gradually, and all that Hannibal heard were Will's hiccups.

"I'm yours now?" Will asked sniffling after a long time of silence.

Hannibal smiled.

"Yes, Will. You're mine."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think? Should I write a series??  
> Comments please!!!!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading and for all feedback!!!  
> Comments please!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> Edited 30/06/2014

Hannibal could not help but smile as he watched Will eating his chicken soup. It was no secret that the psychiatrist was an excellent cook and loved to see people eating his food, even though the people he invited to his famous dinners didn't exactly know the origin of the delicious meal. In part, it was very interesting to see people eating other people; it was something macabre and poetic at the same time. But seeing Will eat and look at him like that... that grateful look was just precious, but it would have been perfect if the chicken (which was actually a chicken, by the way) were a bit of Webber's flesh.

They were sitting on that small wooden table, facing each other and Will ate as if the plate was going to grow legs and run away, as if someone would take the food from him. The boy was starving. Hannibal grimaced when he saw Will holding the spoon in such an ungraceful manner, but he would forgive such behavior because Will was still under the intoxicating effect of the catharsis that he had had, but Hannibal would have to teach him manners at the table later.

"Slowly. You don't want to have indigestion." Hannibal warned but with a gentle tone.

The boy nodded without lifting his head to look at Hannibal. The psychiatrist had a hunch that this was the first decent meal the boy had in a long time. Hannibal was amazed that Will had not died of malnutrition. Will was stronger than he had thought.

"How's the soup? Good?"

"Yes, _Master_." Will said with a smile.

Hannibal frowned and looked at Will with a stern expression. The boy looked up and he noticed the change in the features of the older man. Will froze, fearing that he had said something wrong.

"Why did you call me that?" Hannibal said with a strange tone and Will felt a chill down his spine.

Hannibal was his master now, wasn't he? Will belonged to him. It was obvious that he would refer to the man as his _master_. In his view, every owner should be called _master_ , or any other name that pleases the owner. That's what Webber taught him. But apparently Hannibal did not like that; the boy could see it in his eyes. Suddenly all the fear returned and he let his spoon fall on the plate with a clatter then he looked away.

"Will, answer my question." Hannibal said in a serious tone.

"I..." he started to say, and stuttered "Y-You own me now, you're my Master... " Will tried to explain.

Hannibal understood everything.

"That's how you called the Bad Man?"

Will nodded and lowered his head, looking away.

"If you want, I can call you something else. Is ' _Daddy_ ' okay?" He tried to fix the mistake he had made, but Hannibal seemed even more displeased.

The boy was wrong again? As far as he knew, calling his owner _Daddy_ was better than calling him _Master_ , on certain occasions, of course. But as time went on, he realized that the more he called Webber _Daddy_ , the less he beat Will. So logically, the boy thought that owners liked to be called that. But Hannibal seemed even more displeased and now Will was _really_ worried that he had done something very wrong. Would Hannibal punish him?

But then, Hannibal rose from his chair, walked over to Will and knelt beside him with the most affectionate look that Will had ever seen.

"You're not my slave, Will." Hannibal said softly. "That man forced you to call him those names because that was the way he found to humiliate you. I'm not like him and I don't want you to call me as you called him."

Will nodded vehemently.

"So... how should I call you?" Will said, measuring his words.

Hannibal smiled.

"Just Hannibal." Psychiatrist stood and stroked the boy's hair, looking at him dotingly. "Stay here and finish your soup, I'll be right back."

Hannibal pulled away and left the boy alone in the bedroom. He went down the stairs to the first floor and headed to his office. He kept some medications in his office in case of an emergency, and this was one. He searched in his drawers and found a bottle of Tylenol. He put the bottle in his pocket, went upstairs again and headed to his room.

While he was climbing the stairs, he couldn't stop thinking about Will's words. Master? Daddy? No, that was inhumane, even for Hannibal. The psychiatrist could imagine what kind of occasions Webber demanded to be called _Daddy_ and that send chills down his spine. He didn't want Will to see him that way, like he had escaped from the hands of a monster to fall into the hands of another. Hannibal was a monster indeed, but not _that_ kind of monster. Poor Will. That was the proof that he had been tortured, physically and mentally. Hannibal wouldn't accept being compared to Webber. He would never do anything to hurt Will.

When Hannibal reached the door of his bedroom, he feared that Will had had another panic attack and had hid under the bed. But when Hannibal opened the door he found the boy exactly where he had left him, sitting at the table, waiting as obediently as a puppy.

Hannibal smiled at the boy, who smiled back. Hannibal walked to the bathroom and the boy watched him curiously. Soon, the older man was back bringing a glass of water. Hannibal approached him and looked at his plate.

"I see you have finished eating. Good. Do you want more?"

The boy shook his head.

Hannibal placed the glass of water on the table and grabbed the bottle of Tylenol from his pocket and removed the lid, taking out two pills and offering them to Will.

The boy looked at the suspicious pills and did not move to take them.

"What?" Hannibal asked intrigued.

"I don't like drugs." Will answered in a very childish way, his voice low and trembling.

"The drugs will make you feel better." Hannibal said, but the boy still seemed worried and looked away.

"The Bad Man make me take drugs sometimes, so I wouldn’t move as he did the Bad Thing to me."

Hannibal gaped. After a few seconds of paralysis, Hannibal managed to sit in the chair opposite to Will, who looked almost on the verge of tears again.

" _Bad Thing_?" Hannibal had an idea of what that meant, but he wanted to hear it from Will.

"He hurt me… down there." Will replied with a trembling voice. Even when Will was too young to understand what was happening, he knew it was a bad thing.

"Will..."

"I tried not to let it happen, but..." Will started crying.

"My little one..."

Hannibal stood up, approached Will and pulled the boy close to him, hugging him tightly. He could not believe what Will was telling him. It was too horrible. Besides all that torture Webber had done, he also had drugged Will to rape him. It was not the first nor the last time that Hannibal wished Webber was still alive just so to kill him again, and this time, with extensive cruelty. He wanted to tell Will that he would never have to worry about it, that Hannibal would never touch him that way, ever, but he was rendered speechless. For the first time in his life, Hannibal was speechless.

They were embraced for a while, until Will (and Hannibal himself) calm down. The psychiatrist departed from the hug and took the pills again and the glass of water.

"These are painkillers. You told me you were in pain, remember?" He said with soothing voice. "Do you trust me?"

Will looked at Hannibal for a moment analyzing these words, then nodded. Will could not explain why, but he trusted Hannibal, the monster that killed monsters. Hannibal had something dangerous inside him, Will could see that clearly, but at the same time, he felt protected by this man.

"Good. Now open your mouth. "

Will obeyed and Hannibal gently slid the two pills in Will's mouth, offering him the glass of water after that. The boy drank the whole glass in one gulp.

"Now, you need to rest."

Hannibal approached the boy and put his arm around his shoulders and brought him to the bed. Will struggled a bit, reflecting years of abuse, but soon he realized that Hannibal just wanted him to lie down to sleep. Hannibal made him lie down and covered him with a soft blanket and noticed that as soon as his head hit the pillow, the boy began to blink slowly.

Just three minutes later, the boy was fast asleep, properly, on a real bed.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!!  
> I'm sorry for the late update, "Soulmates" had took a lot of time.  
> I hope You like this chapter!!  
> More soon!!!
> 
> Edited 30/06/2014

Hannibal was unable to sleep. This was definitely one of the longest nights of his life. So much had happened, so much had changed inside him and he was still getting used to it. He was sitting in the armchair in his bedroom, watching Will sleep on his bed. The boy was fast asleep and his face looked so calm and his heart filled with tranquility because the boy was too.

What could he have done anyway? How could he have refused the boy when fate offered him like that? Hannibal was not the kind of person to believe in luck, fate, God or anything, but he felt that somehow he _had_ to have done that; he had to have killed Webber. It was meant to be. He felt that fate had plotted for him to leave that coffee shop at that exact moment and that Webber be rude enough so that Hannibal would choose him as his prey. That some higher force had plotted for Hannibal to find and rescue Little Will, there was no other explanation other than that. Will was destined to be _his_.

Hannibal smiled at the irony of the situation. He didn't know how he would manage it, but he'd find a way, he always did.

The psychiatrist stood up from his armchair and walked a few steps to the nightstand on the left side of the bed. He opened the top drawer and carefully grabbed his tablet; trying to make no noise that could wake the little one. Will shifted and rolled on the bed lying on his side, facing Hannibal. The boy was still asleep and the curls of his hair were covering his eyes. Hannibal reached out and brushed a strand of hair from his forehead. The boy shuddered instinctively, but still seemed lost in his sleep. Hannibal smiled and walked toward the armchair again, sitting with the tablet in hands.

He researched several websites for missing people, thus little Will, but found nothing. No child who had a picture on these websites looked like Will. Was it possible that nobody was looking for him? Will had said he did not remember anything since when he was with Webber, perhaps for too long. He first tried the official website of the FBI, with no luck; then he tried other less official websites.

There was a NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) in Louisiana that had a website that helped to find missing children even after the police have given up, focusing on the _cold cases_. After a long search in this website Hannibal found a picture of a little boy with curly black hair and impossible blue eyes. There was no mistake, this was Will. Hannibal could never mistake those eyes with the eyes of another child.

Will's name was actually David Adams. He had disappeared from the gates of his school when he was eight years old, in September 2003, in Louisiana. His parents had spared no effort to find him. They had made posters, rallies, advertisements, they had published it on newspapers and also had participated in radio talk shows, but they never found their child. In 2005, they had died in a car accident, and since then no one looked for the child. David had been presumed dead. Webber could have kept Will prisoner his whole life if he wanted so.

Hannibal turned off his Tablet and placed on the table. He looked out the window and saw the sunlight illuminating everything. He looked at his watch, it was 9 a.m.; he had spent three hours researching in the internet. What would he do now? Will's parents weren’t alive and waiting for him. The boy was actually eighteen years old, but could not take care of himself, broken the way he was. He could not take him to the police or the hospital, as this would raise questions that Hannibal could not answer without bringing trouble to himself. Hannibal considered all these things and there was only one thing to do. Hannibal would keep the boy to himself.

He had already made his decision long before he found out about Will's parents, but now he was sure that there would be no impediment. David was presumed dead, but he was not David anymore, he was Will, _his Will_. Hannibal would provide a new identity, a new life for the boy. Just like Webber had done, but Hannibal would not make the boy's life a living hell. No. Will's life would be full of affection going forward. He would make everything possible for the boy to be happy; he would make the kid forget the days of torture and despair.

When Will woke up, it would be the first day of the rest of his life with Hannibal, a safe and happy life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments please!!!!  
> Suggestions?????


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!!  
> The suggestions have been acepted, i hope you all like it!!!
> 
> Edited 01/07/2014

Will woke up that afternoon and for a moment he panicked. He looked around at the large and clean bedroom and he didn't know where he was, but then he realized he was lying on a soft bed and wearing pajamas and the memories of the night before came back to him

It was Hannibal's home, his new owner.

The boy sat in that big bed, quiet. Even though he was no longer wearing the collar, he did not know if he would be allowed to leave the bedroom. Hannibal had not told him what his rules were and Will didn't want to make him angry and didn't want to be punished. Hannibal had been so good to him so far, and Will didn't want to upset him.

His new owner was scary. Will could see through his owner’s eyes that a predator lived inside of him, one even more dangerous than Webber, a wolf. But at the same time, that mysterious man had saved him and didn't seem to want to hurt him; that made the boy confused. Hannibal was dangerous, evil by nature, and although he felt a terrible fear in Hannibal's presence, he also felt safe; after all, his owner had killed the monster. When Hannibal had touched him, he was not intending to hurt him but to take care of him, to comfort him. This had never happened before.

He did not know how long Hannibal would continue to do so, if all this goodness was just another mask he was wearing. Webber himself sometimes had a few moments of _goodness_ though most times it lasted only long enough for him to get drunk again and hurt him. Will was used to the inconsistency, but he would not survive if it all happened again.

Then he heard steps approaching the door and watched the bedroom door be opened by Hannibal who was carrying a tray in one hand. He smiled to see that Will was already awake and staring at him.

"I see you're awake. How do you feel?" He said placing the tray on the same table where Will had eaten his chicken soup.

"I'm fine, Master ... I mean ... H-Hannibal." Will stammered nervously.

Hannibal looked to the boy for a moment and the boy looked away.

"Are you hungry?" Hannibal said sitting on a chair at the table. Will nodded hesitantly. "Come eat, then." Hannibal smiled at him.

The boy looked at Hannibal for a moment before tossing the blanket aside. He stood and waited a bit. Suddenly he felt dizzy and had to sit down again on the bed or he would have fallen on the floor. He was still very weak. Hannibal stood up from his chair and walked over to the boy. For a moment, Will was afraid that Hannibal was coming toward him to hit him for not obeying his order. The psychiatrist touched his shoulder and the boy closed his eyes and flinched, waiting for a punch that never came. When he opened his eyes again a few seconds later, Hannibal looked at the boy with the tenderest of looks. The older man reached out a hand for Will to hold.

"I'll help you." Hannibal said with a smile.

Will took Hannibal's hand. The older man helped him to stand on his feet and walked beside him, supporting him until they reached the table where Will sat down heavily. Hannibal took his place on the chair in front of Will. The two looked at each other for a while before Hannibal pointing the dish in front of Will.

"It's scrambled eggs and sausage. Some protein will do you good. " Again, Hannibal mused that the boy had not understood a word of what he had just said.

Will looked at his plate with a raised eyebrow and grabbed the fork that was next to the plate.

"Thank you." Will said, before taking a bite at the food.

Hannibal smiled, watching the boy's reaction. Will chewed the first bite of food and smiled slightly.

"It's good?" Will nodded, smiling, and Hannibal smiled again. His eyes landed on the boy's bare shoulders. "When you feel better, we will buy you clothes. You cannot walk around naked. "

"Yes, Sir." Will nodded and turning his attention back to the food that was excellent.

Hannibal looked at the boy. He delighted, seeing the boy eat with enthusiasm and hearing the small sounds of pleasure that Will made every forkful. He could spend the whole afternoon just watching Will, _his_ Will. Although he was in love with the smile of the boy, Hannibal had to talk about a subject he knew it would make his boy sad, but he had to ask.

"Will, tell me, do you remember anything before the Bad Man catch you? Your parent’s home? Their names?" Hannibal asked and saw that the boy had became tense. He put his fork down and averted his gaze.

"Not much." Will replied sincere. "Almost nothing."

Hannibal looked at the boy. He would not play games. Since the beginning, sincerity was present between the two, and it could not be different now, he could not lie to Will.

"Do you want to remember?" Hannibal asked directly. " I just found out a few things about your parents you might want to kno-"

"Are they alive?" Will asked, interrupting Hannibal.

His expression was not anxious as if he had been waiting a lifetime to see them again. He was sad, as if he knew the answer somehow.

Hannibal shook his head. The boy closed his eyes and sighed.

"Then I don't want to know." Will said with a trembling voice.

Hannibal understood. Will must have a romanticized image of his parents on his head, and he did not want to change that image. Somehow, this was the way Will had found to tell Hannibal that he was choosing his life with Hannibal instead of his old life now that he was free. It made Hannibal's selfish side jump for joy.

"They looked for me?" Will asked with bright eyes.

"Yes, for a long time." Hannibal said softly.

Will nodded and lowered his head. Will didn't need to know the rest, and they would never return to this subject again. The past was past; it was dead and buried and would never come back. Will had a whole new life in front of him, a chance to be happy, and he choose to share it with Hannibal.

****

"It's okay, Will." Hannibal said from the driveway of his home, looking at the boy who was paralyzed on the porch. "There's no reason to get so tense."

It was the first time that the boy set his foot out of the house since Hannibal brought him from Webber's house, three days ago. He was wearing jeans and a jacket Hannibal had bought for him the day before, something simple, just so that the boy would not to leave the house in pajamas. Hannibal would take him to shop for real now, but the boy was paralyzed in the porch, afraid of the outside world.

The boy moved, walking a few hesitant steps towards Hannibal. He still seemed so fragile and weak, as if a strong wind could carry him away. Hannibal took the boy's hand and pulled him close and hugged him.

"Oh, my little one." Hannibal smiled and kissed his forehead, before leading him to the car.

Hannibal settled Will into the passenger seat and walked around the car and took his place in the driver's seat. He started the engine and hit the road to the nearest mall.

Hannibal did not like the idea of everyone staring at Will. The boy was in need of a haircut, his stubble made him look like a homeless boy, but he had a kind of beauty that drew attention from anyone. Webber had seen it when he chose Will, Hannibal had seen it too, and he feared that others also could see it. But the boy could not stay locked in his house for the next ten years as happened before, Will would have to interact with the world, and Hannibal would teach him how.

Hannibal had parked his car in the parking lot of the mall and he helped Will out of the car. The boy grabbed his arm, like a child who seeks security. Hannibal smiled and they walked hand in hand to the mall. Will had a frightened look and cringed whenever someone came too close, sometimes hiding behind Hannibal and tightly squeezing the coat of the Doctor.

They went into four teenage fashion stores, but Hannibal did not find anything that was suitable to his boy. Everything was too exaggerated, too colorful, like a neon sign screaming _'look at me'_. Will was naturally beautiful; he didn't need that kind of clothing. Though in the end, they managed to find a store that might have what they were looking for.

"Try these." Hannibal said; handing Will a pair of dark jeans and a blue plaid flannel shirt.

Will looked at him with a puzzled look, but obeyed. Hannibal followed him to the dressing rooms and waited outside while the boy was changing. The boy took a while to get dressed, but he soon came out of the stall, wearing dark jeans and blue flannel shirt. The color matched perfectly with the boy's eyes.

"Did you like these, Sir?" Will asked hesitantly.

"Absolutely." Hannibal smiled amused. There was a large mirror on the wall and Will looked at it for a moment. Hannibal stood behind him and was looking at Will's face in the mirror's reflection. "Of course I'd rather see you in more sophisticated clothes, but first we'll buy what is more comfortable for you."

They left that shop with some color variations of the same set, underwear, socks, pajamas… a new wardrobe for the boy.

They were walking carrying numerous bags from the stores they had visited. They had books, CDs, DVDs, and more clothes. Hannibal didn't save money if it was for Will. They walked side by side; Hannibal carrying all the bags while Will ate a chocolate ice cream. Hannibal was saying something about the books he had bought for Will when he looked around and saw that the boy was not by his side.

Hannibal's heart nearly stopped for that moment.

"Will?" He looked around and didn't see the boy. "Will!" He called louder.

No, no, he could not lose Will that way. Hannibal felt fear. Hannibal turned on his heel, retracing the path, searching for the little one. He was about to look for security to mobilize a search party when he saw Will standing in front of a store window, looking inside. Hannibal almost ran to the boy. Hannibal’s expression changed from one of concern to one of agitation as he reached the boy.

"Don't you dare walk away from me again!" Hannibal said, holding the boy by the arm, a little harder than he intended to.

Will looked at him, scared, and his eyes filled with tears.

"I'm sorry..." Will said in a low tone.

At that moment, Hannibal regretted yelling at Will. He let the bags fall to the floor and hugged the whimpering boy.

"Oh Will, don't you know how dangerous this world is?" Hannibal said softly to calm the boy. "Why did you wander away from me?"

The boy was still crying and Hannibal looked at the window and then to Will. He understood everything. It was a store that sold stuffed animals. In the window, there was a stuffed dog, one that looked like a yellow Labrador; its eyes looked very much like Will's, big and sad.

"Do you like it?" Hannibal said, pulling away slightly to see the boy's face. Will hiccupped then nodded, looking away. The doctor smiled.

"Then it's yours." Hannibal grabbed the bags off the floor and walked into the store, soon followed by Will.

Hannibal bought the toy, as a means to redeeming himself for having made Will cry. During those few days, Hannibal had found out that Will had a special love for dogs. Hannibal would never allow a real animal in his house, but could accept a stuffed animal.

Once they were leaving the store; Hannibal smiled at Will who was hugging the stuffed animal with a smile. Hannibal would do anything to see that smile again and again. He was so fascinated with the joy that Will showed in having the dog in his arms that he had not noticed the approach of a person.

"Hannibal?" A female voice called behind him and he turned.

A dark-haired woman was walking toward him. She was wearing a floral dress in shades of blue and she was carrying bags of a fancy store.

"Alana?" Hannibal said, blindsided.

It was one thing was walking around with Will in a place where nobody knew him; quite another to find a colleague, even Alana Bloom.

"What a surprise to find you here." She said as she approached.

"I could say the same thing."

She noticed the presence of the boy who tried to hide behind Hannibal.

"And who is this boy?" She said smiling at him, but Will looked away.

How could Hannibal explain the kid?

"This is Will." Hannibal replied very fast.

"Hello Will." She started to get closer and the boy seemed to hide behind Hannibal. “Who's he?" she asked Hannibal, lowering her voice.

Hannibal could guess what Alana should be thinking now, seeing a eighteen years old teenager hugging a stuffed animal and hiding behind Hannibal as if he was afraid of Alana. She must be thinking that Will was one of his patients or something of the sort.

"He is the son of a friend of mine who passed away recently. I was appointed his legal guardian since the boy is... well... you’ve noticed it already."

Alana looked at the boy with eyes full of pity.

"I'm sorry about your friend Hannibal. It must been hard." She made a slight nod toward Will.

"Will is an angel." Hannibal smiled.

"I think he is afraid of me." Alana said with a smile.

"He is shy. He is not used to strangers."

"If you need any help, do not hesitate to call me."

Only when Alana had gone did Hannibal breathed again.

"We have to be more careful."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments please.  
> (sorry about the mistakes)


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everybody  
> merry Christmas!!!  
> If someone want to give a present, they could make a fanart for this fic!!  
> ; ) hehe  
> I'm just kidding, but it would be great!!  
> Well, i love all of you, keep reading!!!
> 
> Edited 01/07/2014

Will frowned as he hugged Winston, the stuffed animal, tightly. Hannibal hated to see Will with that startled look.

"But..." Will stammered. He always did when he was nervous. "Are you going to leave me here alone?" Will looked around, as if the guest bedroom (which was now known as Will's bedroom) had suddenly acquired a sinister aura.

"It's only for a few hours, I'll be back soon." Hannibal assured, stroking the curls of the boy.

Will was sitting in bed; Hannibal was beside him, stroking his hair. He understood why the boy was afraid. During those first days Hannibal had not left his side. Will had begun to associate the presence of the doctor with safety and affection. Being away even for a few hours and between a few walls made the boy nervous.

Although Hannibal had enjoyed taking a few days off to stay with Will, he had a job and patients to see. He had spent all morning in the office with patients and since the boy had overslept, he had not noticed the absence of his master until lunchtime, when the doctor came to wake him up. After lunch, Hannibal had read to Will for an hour since the boy could not read yet. He would have to teach him many things, but Hannibal didn't think it would be a problem. He could have spent the rest of the afternoon like that with the boy resting his head on the lap of the doctor while reading The Hobbit aloud, but time was short and Hannibal had his obligations.

"Look, Will, I won’t be far away. I'll be right here, downstairs. But you must not interrupt me while I'm with a patient. Do you understand me?" Hannibal said, doing everything possible not to sound like he was giving an order.

Will looked away, but nodded. Being alone would be difficult, but he would not dare to disobey his master, not when Hannibal had been so good to him. He could be quiet in his bedroom, and Winston could keep him company. He would be okay.

As the hours passed, Will was getting agitated. He did not like being alone in his bedroom. It was very large and very quiet without Hannibal reading to him. But he would not go downstairs; he would not dare disobey Hannibal. Will remembered everything that Hannibal had done for him so far. Nobody ever cared about him, except his parents and Hannibal. But they were dead now. Will had no one else but his master, his good, loving and generous master. Will knew Hannibal would take care of him, and he was grateful and always would be. For him, it did not matter whether his master was a murderer or not. Hannibal had done nothing to harm him and Will felt safe with his master.

He would behave, for Hannibal.

****

Hannibal looked at his watch impatiently. He did not mean to take so long with the last patient of the day, but the guy just would not stop talking. The alarm indicating the end of the therapy session had already rung fifteen minutes ago, but it would be rude to simply kick the man out his office.

Hannibal often looked over his shoulder and kept listening for any sound that came from the rest of the house. His attention was on Will and the fact that he had not heard any noise coming from the second floor bothered him. Silence always meant trouble. Hannibal wanted to climb the stairs and see if Will was okay and why he was so quiet, but Luke Smith kept a litany about how he was a looser, about how he was not worth it, about how all what he did was wrong. Hannibal heard this shit every Tuesday. Luke was a dark haired; dark eyed young man in his early thirties. He had more money than he could spend and nothing in the head. And after four sessions in which he just kept depreciating himself, he had not opened himself to Hannibal and just told him what really bothered him. It was as if he was testing Hannibal’s patience.

"I don't know what happens," Luke said sniffling and wiping his nose with the sleeve of the most expensive and ridiculous shirt that Hannibal had ever seen. How rude. "I'm always disappointing everyone. I can't do anything right. "

Hannibal rolled his eyes without Luke noticing and handed him a box of paper tissues. The man took one and blew his nose.

"Luke." Hannibal said sighing. "I enjoy our conversations and I would really like to help you, but obviously you still don't feel comfortable with our meetings. I can recommend another doctor if you want." Hannibal said calmly.

Luke frowned.

"Are you giving up on me?" He said with an offended tone.

"No. I'm suggesting that you may feel more comfortable with another doctor. We're not making progress."

"I'm talking to you for the past hour."

"You're talking about how you actions affect you and the people around you, but you did not tell me what you are doing. I could help you if only I knew the reason for this destructive behavior, but you’re not telling me anything. I can not help you while you continue to play the victim."

The man rubbed his eyes and looked at Hannibal with disdain.

"I don't know why I’m wasting my time coming here."

Luke rose abruptly from the leather armchair opposite to Hannibal and walked to the door. He grabbed his coat on the coat rack near the wooden door and left the office. The doctor had to mentally count to ten not to leave his armchair and hunt the man. That was rude and Hannibal was deciding when Luke would be invited at his table.

But Hannibal didn't want to think about it, he had to check on his little one. He left the office and walked toward the stairs leading to the second floor of the house. He would see how Will was and then he would make dinner.

When he opened the door to Will's room, the doctor saw no sign of the boy, but he knew exactly where little one was. With a smile, Hannibal approached the bed and knelt to look under it. Will was sleeping soundly, with Winston in his arms and a pillow under his head. He had the most serene expression that Hannibal had ever seen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments!!!!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!!  
> I hope you like this one!  
> Some hannigram for you  
> Comments and suggestions please!!!
> 
> Edited 01/07/2014

As the days went by, Hannibal started to struggle with strange feelings, feelings that he never thought he could feel. The psychiatrist began to realize that he suddenly found himself staring at Will. He couldn't help but look into those blue eyes and stare at the way that they looked back at him. He thought about Will's lips and how Will would bite them when he was nervous or thinking about something; how Will had begun to lean toward him, seeking warmth.

Oh, Will had no idea how it affected Hannibal. How could he resist him? Will was so beautiful, so helpless and his, so utterly his. His to embrace, his to love. He loved that boy, and worse, he was starting to feel desire for the boy, a desire that he knew was wrong.

No. Hannibal knew he couldn't do it. He knew that Will was broken and he wouldn't take advantage of him. Will trusted him precisely because, unlike Webber, Hannibal had not hurt him. Besides, Will was almost a child. His mind had stopped developing when he was kidnapped as a way to protect himself from the trauma. It was terrible, because even though Will was mentally a child, his body was not. He was an eighteen-year-old boy and it was really hard to focus on everything else when Will looked at him with those innocent eyes. No, that would be wrong. But still, he could not take the boy out of his head.

****

Will woke up with a start, sweating and panting. He had had another nightmare. In this nightmare, he was alone in his bedroom, happy and playing with Winston. Hannibal was not at home, but he would be back soon. He felt so good, so loved. It was then that his bedroom's door opened with a bang and Will raised his head to see who had entered his room. He screamed. He expected to see Hannibal, but the person at the doorway with a smirk on his face was not his beloved master, it was Webber.

"Come here, you naughty puppy!" Webber screamed at him "You..." Webber said stepping into the room "You have been a very, very naughty puppy."

Will jumped from the bed and hid under it, shaking and crying. But the monster was smart; he dragged Will from under the bed and across the room. Webber grabbed something from his pocket and Will screamed. Webber stepped closer and put the collar back on his neck and Will was doomed again.

Will tried to hide the nightmares from Hannibal; this was Will's problem. He knew that Webber was dead, and had been for at least a month, but his body still shook from the memory of the nightmare. Will touched his neck where the scar of his leather collar was still sore.

Why? Why did this monster still haunt him? Will had thought that now that his previous master was dead, he could feel safe, but he was so wrong. Webber had found him, and would always find him. Will looked around, around the room that was chokingly quiet. All that Will could think was that the walls seemed to approach him and suddenly there was not enough air.

He couldn't stand it anymore; he could not stay in that bedroom.

****

Hannibal was a very light sleeper. A man with a life like his could not be caught off guard, so any noise was reason to be alarmed. Hannibal was not sleeping, he was awake, leaning against the headboard of his bed reading a poor article about the Ripper in the TattlerCrime.com.

He heard a noise near his bedroom door and straightened. First he heard something scratching the door on the other side, then it trying to turn the doorknob. Hannibal looked at the clock on the nightstand. It was three a.m.

He stood up, walking to the door. For a moment he thought it could be an intruder, then remembered that he no longer lived alone in his house. He opened the door and saw Will standing in the doorway, wearing one of the pajamas that Hannibal had bought for him. He held Winston tight against his arms and his face was washed with tears. He looked at his master with pleading eyes, the eyes of a sad, hurt little puppy. Will's lip trembled and Hannibal could see that the boy was shaking.

"What happened, my little one?" Hannibal said with tender voice, pulling the boy close and hugging him.

"I had a nightmare." He said sobbing.

"There, there. It's okay now." He kissed Will's forehead. "I'm here." Hannibal kissed his cheek feeling the boy in his arms. Will seemed so scared. "What was the dream about?"

"I... It was-" Will stammered, "The Bad Man was here." Will buried his face on Hannibal's shoulder.

"Sshhh, it’s over." Hannibal told Will, rubbing his back in soothing circles. "He can't hurt you anymore, remember? You're safe."

"But… I don't want to sleep in that bedroom alone... It's too dark..."

Then the boy pulled away from Hannibal and knelt at his feet, bowed like a servant, like a slave, doing what he had been taught to do when he wanted to ask something.

"Can I sleep here with you, master? Please?" Tears rolled down the boy's eyes. "I'll be quiet, I’ll lie under the bed, I promise, I won't make any noise, just..." the boy's shoulders were shaking. "Please let me stay here with you."

"Will..."

Hannibal knelt and picked Will from the floor, holding him in his arms and carrying him bridal style to the bed. Hannibal laid down on the bed and laid the boy beside him. Hannibal opened his arms and Will moved closer, burying his face in Hannibal's chest. With one hand he stroked Will's hair and with the other he rubbed the boy's back to calm him. After a while, Will stopped shivering and snuggled more in that embrace, just sobbing quietly.

Will loved his master. Hannibal was so good to him; he was always taking care of him. The arms of his owner were so warm and soothing. Will felt safe only in those arms.

All that Will had known before Hannibal showed up and saved him from that horrible life was sadness, darkness and pain. How many times had he thought about ending his life? How many times had he wished to be dead just to not suffer anymore? But that was before he met his new master. Hannibal arrived and changed so many things in his life, Will still had difficulty in assimilating with everything, but one thing he knew for sure: he was grateful, he was grateful to Hannibal.

The boy wanted to be able to show his master how grateful he was, that he could be a good boy, so that Hannibal would never get tired of him and send him away. If that might happen somehow, Will would probably die. But how could he show his gratitude? Words were not enough to express how he felt.

But there was a way.

Will raised his head and looked at Hannibal. The doctor noticed that the boy had a strange look on his face. Will leaned over, placing his trembling hands on Hannibal's chest. He moved closer slowly, shyly, like he did not know exactly how to do what he was doing. He closed his eyes and kissed Hannibal with trembling lips. It was a light kiss and Will soon pulled back a little, but not completely. When Will opened his eyes Hannibal looked at him with a surprised face.

"What are you doing, Will?" He was not angry, just surprised.

"I... I j-just want to p-please you." Will said and Hannibal smiled.

Accepting this as a sign that he could continue, Will leaned and kissed Hannibal again and again.

This time, Hannibal kissed him back, pulling Will closer and parting his lips a little. Then, they rolled on the bed, so that Hannibal was on top of Will.

The boy's lips were soft and Hannibal gently kissed them.

"Ah, Will..." Hannibal moaned when he broke the kiss to get some air.

He was kissing the boy a little more demandingly now; urging the boy to part his lips, so that Hannibal could slide his tongue inside Will’s mouth. Will moaned, surprised with the feeling of Hannibal’s tongue moving inside his mouth. Hannibal started kissing the boy's neck gently, biting and sucking his sensitive skin. He began to explore Will's body with his hands and the boy let out a small whimper.

It was then that Will had felt the fear hit him like frozen water, paralyzing him. _Hands, pain, fear_. Will felt Hannibal's breath in his neck and it sent shivers down his spine, but not in a good way. Hannibal kept touching him and Will was making a huge effort to stay calm. " _This is Hannibal_ ,” he thought. _"He will not hurt me."_

Realizing that something was wrong, Hannibal leaned on his elbows and looked at Will. The boy had his face turned to the side, eyes shut, fists clenched. His little one was terrified.

"Will?" Hannibal asked, still holding the boy. "Do you want me to stop?"

"No, it's okay." Will pretended to smile and Hannibal saw how much the boy was uncomfortable with it.

"Will, you're shaking!" Hannibal sighed as he pulled away completely, lying on his back with a hiss.

Will could see that Hannibal was not pleased with his reaction. That was something that Will could not allow. He felt he had displeased his master. He could not accept it. If Hannibal came to be unhappy with Will, he might want to get rid of him, and this would be his end. The boy looked away. He had to fix it; he had to do anything to please his master. _Anything_.

"I'll be quiet, you can do whatever you want to me. It’s okay if it hurts." Will said suddenly.

"What?" Hannibal said frowning.

"You have been so good to me, I want to thank you." Will said with pleading eyes. "I'll be a good boy." Will grabbed Hannibal's shoulder and brought him close. "I'll be quiet, I won’t move. You can do whatever you want."

That was one of Webber's rules; keep still like a stone while he did the bad thing. Webber did not even tolerate his sobs. He learned that it was better to keep still; it wouldn't hurt as much.

"No." Hannibal pulled away and got up from the bed, starting to pace in the room, visibly tormented. "That's what he taught you? That you should let him do this to you?" he said sharply.

Will sat up in bed and looked at Hannibal with those big eyes that were filling with tears.

It was true. He was taught by Webber that if he wanted something, anything, even water to drink, he would have to pay with his body. He was taught that he should be a good boy and let his master do the bad thing, that he should please his master. It was terrifying, but he was willing to let Hannibal do the bad thing to him to show him that he was a good boy.

"Sorry, sir..." was all Will could say.

Hannibal sighed and went back to bed, sitting beside Will and hugging him.

"My little one." Hannibal said softly. "You don't have to do what you don't want to do just to please me."

"So... you don't want me?" he asked with a trembling voice.

Oh, how could Hannibal resist to him?

"I..." Hannibal hesitated to answer, but again he had an urge to be honest with the boy. "I want you. Will, I want you so bad. But not like this, not when you're scared of me." Hannibal pulled away a bit and looked into the boy's eyes. "I don't want you to feel obligated to give yourself to me. If it has to happen, it will happen, but the right way. There's no rush. I can wait until you feel ready, no matter how long it takes."

Will heard those words and burst into tears again, burying his face in Hannibal's chest. This was why Will loved his master. Even though Will was offering himself to him, he refused. That meant the Hannibal loved him too, that he didn't want to hurt him for his own pleasure.

"I love you, master." Will said between tears and Hannibal did not have the guts to correct him.

"I love you too, my puppy." He said with a smile and Will was not offended by the joke, and actually even smiled.

Will loved Hannibal. Hannibal loved Will. And it was that love that would set them free.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No harm done  
> Hehe  
> Comments please!


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone wants to shave Will, so do I. hehe  
> Fluffy!!!!!
> 
> Edited 02/07/2014

Will had never kissed anyone willingly. Sometimes Webber kissed him, but it was messy and soon he would get tired and punch Will's face, putting him on his stomach to do the bad thing. Will was a fucking toy; there was no need for preparation. But in those times in which Webber tried to make things more "gently" with Will, it always started with kisses, and kisses didn't hurt so much.

Will wanted to be a good boy to Hannibal, and let him do the bad thing if he so wished. Perhaps Hannibal were different, perhaps Hannibal would not hurt him. His master kissed him so gently, Will was enjoying it, it was the first time that he was enjoying the touch of another person, but when Hannibal got on top of him, all fear of pain returned and he was paralyzed. But Hannibal didn't force him; he would never force him.

Will wondered how his life would have been if Hannibal had found him first, before Webber. His new owner was so kind and loving, he was sure that everything would have been different.

When Will woke up the next morning, the sun was illuminating the room. He sat up in bed and realized he was not in _his_ room, but in Hannibal's room. Will remembered everything that had happened the night before. The nightmare, the way Hannibal had carried him in his arms and the way his master had kissed him so gently. It had been so good, but so scary at the same time. He wanted to be in Hannibal's arms again. Frowning, he realized that his master was not in bed. Then he heard a noise coming from the bathroom. The boy grabbed Winston and pressed it to his chest. He got up from the bed and walked hesitantly into the bathroom.

Hannibal was standing there in front of the sink, looking at the mirror. He had a white lather on his face that he wiped with something that looked like a knife, gliding the object across his face and then rinsing the object in running water on the sink just to repeat the process all over again. Will stood there in the doorway, rubbing his eyes to rid of the sleep, just watching Hannibal. The older man seemed to sniff the air and turned abruptly and saw Will facing him with a curious look. Hannibal smiled.

"Good morning, my little one." He said with an affectionate tone and returned to do what he was doing.

"Good morning, Master." Will said blushing at the memory of the kiss.

"Will..." Hannibal said seriously.

"Good morning, Hannibal." Will corrected. Will was fragile the night before and Hannibal allowed the slip of the tongue, but Will should not call him that. He took a few hesitant steps toward Hannibal and stared at his reflection in the mirror. "What are you doing, Hannibal?" Will asked, curious like the child he was.

"I'm shaving, Will." Hannibal said. "I don't like to have hair in my face."

Hannibal rinsed the razor and put it aside in the sink. He leaned down and washed his face with water. Hannibal's skin looked so soft. So this was how the hair disappeared of the face? Will had always wondered how Webber showed with beard in a day and clean face in the next. Will looked at himself in the mirror and ran his hand on his chin. His beard had begun to grow around a year ago and the boy never shaved. However, his beard was really thin, just stubble, but sometimes it itched. Hannibal looked at Will’s reflection and captured his pensive look and the way the boy scratched his chin.

Hannibal turned to the boy and held his chin so he could look at him. The doctor stroked his cheek and Will looked at him with big eyes. Will was so beautiful. Hannibal also remembered the night before and how Will's lips were soft, how he looked small and helpless in his arms, how he had been paralyzed with fear when Hannibal kissed him more deeply.

The doctor was fighting his feelings, he wanted Will, but he didn't want to hurt the boy, but whenever Will looked at him like that with those sapphire eyes, he dropped all the defenses Hannibal had build. Hannibal touched Will's lips with his fingertips. He leaned over and kissed Will's lips gently, feeling the boy shudder to the touch. The boy was like a drug. After Hannibal had tasted it, he would become addicted. He pulled back and smiled.

"I think you also need to shave, my dear."

As if the boy weighed nothing, Hannibal grabbed him by the waist and lifted him up, Will grunted in surprise and seemed to get scared, but Hannibal smiled while settled him sitting on the counter. Will was still holding Winston tight to his chest when Hannibal pulled away to grab the bottle of shaving cream. Will watched with curiosity that Hannibal had put a bit in his hand and then approached Will again to apply the cream on his face. Will caught a glimpse of his reflection in the mirror and smiled.

"I look funny." He said with a smile.

Then, Hannibal grabbed the razor from the sink and approached the boy. Everything was going fine until Will saw the razor in Hannibal's hand. The boy's eyes widened and he almost jumped off the counter, but Hannibal grabbed him gently.

"What is it? What's wrong, babe?" Hannibal asked; confused by the sudden reaction of the kid who had been calm until now.

"I don't like knives." Will replied with a whisper.

"It's okay, honey." Hannibal replied smiling and stroking Will's hair with his free hand. Hannibal felt the boy get tense. "Why you don't like knives?" He asked.

At that moment, his eyes landed on Will's neck, on an old thin scar. He had noticed that scar before, and several others similar to that one while he bathed Will, but Hannibal never asked how the boy got them. Now it all made sense.

"Will, I'll be careful, don't worry." Hannibal said with soothing voice.

He patted Will's knee, indicating that he wanted him to separate his legs. Will hesitated, but did what was told and Hannibal settled between his legs. Hannibal touched his face and the boy flinched frightened, pressing Winston against his chest. Hannibal didn't stop because of the boy's show of fear and continued gliding the razor over Will’s cheek. He felt the boy shudder and start to breathe in sharp short breaths; Will was panicking.

"It's okay, Will. Relax."

Hannibal was skilled with the razor, Will should have known. His touch was soft and he barely felt the razor against his skin though Will could not help but cringe. He was terrified. Whenever a blade had come near him, things ended badly for him. Will felt stupid for being scared, because he was not afraid of Hannibal, but the knife close to his neck brought the memories back. Hannibal moved Will's face to get a better angle and when he felt the sharp blade on his neck, tears came to his eyes.

"Stop! Please!" Will pleaded.

"Sshhh, it's almost done." Hannibal said in a soft voice, not wanting Will to think that he would hurt him.

Will hiccupped silently as he let Hannibal shave him. Those were minutes of agony for the boy until his master had pulled away, taking the razor with him. Hannibal grabbed a towel from the counter and dipped it in hot water. He approached Will again and wiped the rest of cream that was left on his face. Will's eyes were still wide and filled with tears.

"There, there." Hannibal put the towel aside and hugged the boy who was still sitting on the counter with his legs parted and the doctor between them.

Hannibal let the boy cry on his shoulder for a while until the doctor pulled back and held his chin. He touched the boy's skin, running his finger down his cheek, feeling the smoothness of his skin. Without the beard, Will looked even younger than he was and those pleading eyes didn’t help. Hannibal tried to ignore the fact that Will was like a child. Will was not a child; he was a young man. He wrapped Will's waist with his strong arms, leaned again and kissed the lips that were still trembling. The boy seemed to relax now that the razor wasn’t right up against his neck and his master was touching him so affectionately.

The kiss was soft, as always, but he felt the boy shudder every time his hands roamed on his back. Hannibal broke the kiss and rested his cheek on Will's, skin against skin.

"You are beautiful, Will." Hannibal said in his ear. The boy let go a breath he didn't know he was holding and hugged his master back. No one ever told him he was beautiful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments please, I need them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
> hehe


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the ideas.  
> Luke wears Colin Farrel's face, just saying.  
> Bath scene in next, Will will tell Hannibal everything.  
> The Ripper will kill again.  
> hehe
> 
> Edited 02/07/2014

"How about this one?" Hannibal pulled a book off one of the shelves of the bookstore and read the title. "The Three Musketeers." he told Will who was behind him, grabbing the sleeve of Hannibal's jacket as he did every time they went out to the public.

Will shook his head and glanced nervously at the sides. Hannibal knew that Will was troubled because they haven't brought Winston. The boy was still afraid of the streets and people. The older man realized that the stuffed animal brought a sense of safety to Will, noticing how Will clung to the toy when he was nervous. Nonetheless, Hannibal did not allow Will to bring the stuffed animal when they go out in public; it drew too much attention. However the doctor allowed Will to grab his arm and hid behind his back if he got too nervous.

Hannibal and Will walked down the aisles of shelves of Hannibal’s favorite bookstore. There, he could find multiple titles from a diversity of authors, even writers from his own country. The doctor thought Will should get out more often. The boy was still too scared to face the real world or great adventures outdoors, but he thought that a trip to a bookstore would be beneficial for the kid, because it was not only a bookstore, the place was also a café with several tables where one could sit and enjoy a book with a coffee or a hot chocolate in their hands. The place was not noisy, their clients were moderately educated, more interested in their own reading than staring and whispering about the fact that an apparently middle-aged man was walking around with a teenager clinging to him. That was the kind of place that Hannibal Lecter appreciated.

Will loved books, at least he loved what Hannibal read to him. Will especially liked the tone of Hannibal's voice when he read to him. He could stay listening to his master for hours. Hannibal would start to teach him to read again, but he avoided the shelves with childish books, he needed to present Will to finest literature.

"How about this one, babe?" Hannibal took another book from the shelf. "The Lord of the Rings - illustrated" Will looked at the cover of the book and smiled. "I think we have a winner." Hannibal pondered with a smile.

Since Hannibal had no patients to see for the rest of the day, he decided to enjoy the afternoon with his little one. He ordered coffee for himself and apple juice for Will and sat at a table in the bookstore. It had been a few minutes since the two were seated at the table. Hannibal smiled at the look of joy on Will's face while he flipped through the pages of his new book to see the images in it.

"You want more juice?" Hannibal asked the kid entertained with the book.

"Yes, please."

Hannibal was always amazed by how Will was always so polite. The doctor knew that all this subservience came from Webber, the years of conditioning and training, as the slave who Will was. He didn't like that. He knew that Will was polite for fear of being punished, and he would have to change the boy's thinking. The psychiatrist stood up and walked away to order the juice. The boy was so engrossed in his new book that he did not bothered with the fact that Hannibal had left him alone.

"Will?" He heard a voice calling him, and it wasn't his master.

Will froze, letting the book fall with a bang on the table. He knew that voice, he had heard it several times at Webber's home. But it just could not be real; it couldn't be...

"Hey, kid!" The voice had approached and a dark-haired man with piercing brown eyes came into his field of vision. The man pulled the chair that Hannibal had occupied earlier and sat in front of Will. The boy dropped his head looking away; he won't dare to look at the face of that man. Will didn't know his name, but he knew his face and his voice and he would never forget. Sometimes Webber brought other monsters to play with his toy. After all, what's the point of having a pet if you can’t show it off to anyone? Sometimes there were two at once, doing the bad thing, hurting him deeply. Those were the worst days. The pain was so intense; the humiliation was so unbearable that Will wanted to die. That man showed up sometimes, always drugged or drunk. He used to give money to Webber so he could _play_ with Will. He always raped Will 'til the boy had passed out. He was simply sadistic.

"It has been a while..." He said smiling when he noticed that Will had begun to shake. "I learned about what happened to your daddy, I was wondering what had happened to you, I was very worried."

"Go away." Will said with a trembling voice. "Please."

"Oh, are you here alone?" The man leaned to get very close to Will's ear. "What is a naughty little puppy like you is doing walking around alone like a bitch in heat?"

Will cringed and put his hands covering his ears. He shut his eyes, hoping it was a nightmare or a hallucination. But no, it wasn't. The man grabbing his arm tightly and pulling him close was too real to be false.

"Look at yourself, you're different," He leaned and sniffed his hair and Will let out a whimper "Man, You're smelling so good." He smiled "I longed to find you, you know? Why don't you come with me? I can be your new daddy."

"No…" Will sobbed.

"You know very well that it is useless to say "no" to me. As always, you will scream, you will kick, but you’ll give up eventually. "

Will could not believe what was happening, the monster has found him. The monster tightened his grip on Will's arm and Will almost screamed.

"Sshhh, quiet." The man said, "We don't want to draw attention, do we?"

The Man stood up, still squeezing Will's arm. He started to walk to the door of the bookstore, dragging Will with him. If Will screamed for help, the man would hurt him. What could he do? The boy was desperate, this could not be happening. Where was Hannibal?

"What's going on here? Let him go!"

Will heard a voice behind him and when he turned, Hannibal was there right behind them. The eyes of the two men met for a second, and that was enough for him to loosen his grip and Will managed to escape, running toward Hannibal and throwing himself into his arms.

"Dr. Lecter?" The man muttered amazed. "Are you with him?"

Hannibal carried the purest hatred in his eyes. It was Luke Smith, Hannibal's patient, who had been extremely rude when Hannibal decided to send him to another doctor.

"Go away, Luke." that was all he managed to say, blinded by rage

"I can explain..." Luke stammered and Hannibal hugged Will tight.

"What part of _'go away’ don’t_ you understand?" The psychiatrist said through clenched teeth.

Without another word, Luke Smith ran out the door. Hannibal hadn't heard the conversation, but he had saw just how Luke was dragging Will and how desperate the boy was, that was more than enough reason to Hannibal show his claws and fangs.

He watched the man disappear down the street and he pulled away from Will when he was sure that Luke wasn’t lurking in the shadows. Will was shaking, crying, and breathing as if all the air of the world had gone. He was having another panic attack, a really bad one.

"Will, try to breathe, please." Hannibal said with soothing voice, but Will wasn't listening; he was trapped within his own thoughts.

No more waiting, Hannibal put an arm around the boy's shoulders and led him out of the bookstore and back to the car. He settled Will into the passenger seat and took his place in the driver's seat. Hannibal turned his attention to the boy who was still crying.

"Will try to breathe." Hannibal said soothing and reached to touch the boy's hair. Will shrank down, terrified.

Hannibal looked at Will. Whatever Luke had done to Will, he would pay for it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments?????


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dark Will???  
> hehe  
> But Luke deserves it.
> 
> Edited 03/07/2014

The car parked in Hannibal's driveway an hour after they had left the bookstore. The doctor climbed out of the car and walked around it. He opened the door and helped the trembling boy to stand up. Hannibal had a hard time trying to calm Will on the way to his house, having to stop on the side of the road twice just because the boy couldn't breath.

The doctor led him into the house and Will ran up the stairs, making Hannibal run after him. Will ran straight to the master bedroom and tried to hide under the bed, but the doctor reached him before he did, holding him and hugging him. Will hid under the bed just when he was really scared, so Hannibal could imagine what would be going through the boy's head at that moment. Will tried to wiggle out of the doctor’s arms, but when the doctor hugged him again tightly, Will seemed to collapse, crying hard with his face pressed against Hannibal's chest. The two stood there embraced in the middle of the room for a long time.

"It's okay, Will. You're safe now." Hannibal whispered into the shaking boy's ear. Hannibal buried his face in Will's neck and inhaled the smell of fear and sweat that came from him. But with his amazing sense of smell, Hannibal could also smell the hint of the scent that pig had left on Will, and it was disgusting. He had to wipe that smell off him.

"Let's take a bath, hmm babe? You will feel much better."

Hannibal pulled back a little to see Will's face. The boy wasn’t crying anymore, but his eyes were red and puffy and his lip was still trembling. Will nodded and that was one of the saddest expressions that the doctor had seen on the boy's beautiful face. There was so much sadness, pain, fear… the weight of the memories and the outright suffering.

Hannibal led him slowly to the bathroom, departing from the kid for just for a moment to turn the faucet to the big tub on. He helped him to undress and Will protested a bit, struggling. Will had accepted the touches from Hannibal a while ago, and this behavior showed how much the boy was distressed. He undressed himself and when the tub was full, them both stepped inside.

The tub was large; the two could comfortably fit inside it. Hannibal was behind Will and leaned against the tub, he parting his legs and making the boy accommodate there and lean his back against his chest. Will struggled a bit, but Hannibal knew how to soothe him. Hannibal gently kissed his shoulders and his neck and Will shuddered with every kiss. Hannibal touched his body with extreme delicacy, lightly touching his chest and waist, his hands roaming on that skinny little body. Will squirmed and sighed and his body responded to the soothing touch of his Master. Hannibal continued to kiss Will's shoulders, and after a while began to nibble at the point where the neck and shoulder joined, causing the boy to hold a moan.

"Hannibal..." Will murmured with closed eyes. Hannibal's hands went down to the lower belly of the boy, moving to his hips and squeezing it lightly. Hannibal's hands didn't stop exploring Will's body and soon found his thighs. "Aaahh," Will writhed to the touch. "Hanni..." His voice was pleading. "Stop..."

"Sshhh, it's okay." Hannibal replied softly into his ear.

Gently Hannibal moved his hands until he had found what he was looking for under the water. He cupped Will’s genitals giving them a light, teasing squeeze. Unconsciously, Will found Hannibal's hands and repelled then with a groan. He still was not ready to be touched in a more intimate way.

Hannibal rested his chin on Will's shoulder and stopped biting his neck, but did not stop his hands to roam on Will's torso.

"Will, sweetheart, what did that man want?" Hannibal asked directly, he knew Will would keep it to himself if he left it alone, and he had to know what was bothering his beloved. He had to know, to know what punishment would fit to Luke. Will seemed to get tense again, but Hannibal hugged him. "You can tell me, I will not be mad at you."

He could feel him take a deep breath.

"He wanted to take me with him." Will said softly. "He's the Knife Monster..."

"What do you mean? Knife Monster?" Hannibal said, but deep down he knew the answer.

"The Bad Man was not the only one, sometimes there were others..." Will began to sob, "That man was one of them."

"What did he do to you?" Hannibal knew that Will would not do a dissertation about what happened, he would have to ask the questions, in therapy sessions, waiting his answers, making him open himself slowly.

"He hurt me..."

"Down there?"

Will nodded and started crying hard. Hannibal hugged him and kissed his neck.

"He... he tied me to the bed, he took a k-knife ... and ... hurt me ... then ... he put s-something in the cuts and it b-burned..." Will shuddered just in thinking about that "So he did the bad thing, and it hurt a lot."

Hannibal stopped breathing at that moment.

"And the Bad Man let this happen?" Hannibal asked with hate.

"He used to say _'Not on the face'_ and closed the door" Will sobbed, "I screamed, but he didn't come help me. No one came to help me."

"I'm here now." Hannibal said with soothing voice.

"You promise that he won’t catch me again?" Will asked with despair.

"I promise." Hannibal kissed his shoulder. "I'll take care of it."

"The same way you took care of the Bad Man?" Will asked with a trembling voice.

Hannibal was silent, pondering whether to tell the boy or not, but Will deserved to know.

"Yes. But I will not be so nice with this one. "

Will was silent for a while, pondering the words of Hannibal then he exhaled, as if a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

"Thank you, Hannibal." he said in a low voice.

He had imagined that maybe the boy would be shocked by the truth, but Will sighed and leaned over Hannibal's chest, finally relaxing. He had Will's approval to kill the bastard and he would happily do it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Luke deserved it!!!!  
> hehe
> 
> Edited 03/07/2014

Luke paced in his bedroom, not knowing what to do. He was nervous. He wasn't expecting he would find the puppy in that bookstore, in fact he did not even know why he had entered that bookstore to begin with. He just knew that when he looked at that boy (no, he was not a boy, he was a _toy_ ) he knew he had to find a way to take him with him. But Luke didn't know that the boy was with his psychiatrist.

He met Webber on a bar one night three years ago and when he realized, he was inside his house, being led to a room where there was a boy on a leash.

"For one hundred bucks, you can do whatever you want to him." Webber told Luke with that evil smile.

He had not lied; the kid really was beautiful. Webber could have already broken his body and mind, but he was still so beautiful. Luke paid one hundred bucks, and he paid to use the boy in the vilest way. And he kept coming back to that dirty house again and again. That was why he was in therapy, because he could not handle the fact that he was a pervert, though he never had the courage to tell Hannibal his dirty little secret.

It was the boy's fault; no one can be beautiful like that and expect nothing bad would happen. He was irresistible. When he had read in the newspapers what had happened to Webber, he could only think of a way to take the boy, but no one knew about the boy and he seemed to have vanished into thin air…

Until that afternoon.

A question that would not shut up in his head, "How did Will ended in Lecter's hands?" Well, he imagined that the authorities had found the boy and that Hannibal was his psychiatrist or legal guardian. If that were the case, then Luke was screwed. What he supposed to do now? Will probably would have told everything to Hannibal at this point. The psychiatrist could have called the police and now he was being hunted. Maybe he could pack a few things and get away. He had money he would get away with this.

At that moment, his cell phone rang, snapping him out of his reverie. He took the phone from his pocket and looked at the screen. He did not recognize the number, and he was tempted not to answer the call, but he answered anyway, because if it were the police, they would not be calling his cell phone.

"Hello." He said carefully.

"Good evening, Luke." Hannibal's voice sounded warm on the other side.

Luke felt his blood freeze in his veins. Was this the right time to beg and barter? Luke was already creating a whole script in his head to explain all this shit, but he did not have to act, cause Hannibal said:

"I have to excuse for my behavior earlier in the bookstore, I was extremely rude. You know, I'm very possessive of what's mine." He said with an amused tone, and really, Hannibal was enjoying it.

"Yours?"

"Yes, that boy. Will."

Luke was silent analyzing these words, deciding whether to say something or to pretend to be dumb.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He chose the latter.

"Sure you do. He told me everything about you and your kink for knife play." Hannibal said laughing. Luke's heart quickened.

"I hope you take into account that he is a very traumatized boy." Luke said walking over to the window. He opened the curtains and looked outside, looking if any unknown cars had parked suspiciously. "Nothing he says should be given attention."

"Yes, he is quite traumatized, the poor thing. Thanks to you."

"What can I say? He is delicious." Luke rubbed his eyes, nervous. "You're with him now, you know what I mean."

"Yes, I know. He is really unique. "

"Maybe we can share him. He's a bitch anyway, he doesn't mind." Luke said looking desperate.

"No. He is mine, and I'm a very, very selfish man."

"And you're going to call the police? You're not exactly clean on this matter." Luke said with a nervous laugh. "I have money, I can buy the entire Baltimore if I want."

He heard Hannibal laughing across the line, but his voice was so deep and audible as if he were very close.

Luke turned and had time to see Hannibal leaning in the doorway of his bedroom, wearing a black coat and leather gloves, he had a cell phone in his hand as he hung up and entered the room.

"If I wanted you arrested, I would not be here." Hannibal's eyes sparkled as he put the phone in his pocket.

****

When Luke woke up, he had a terrible headache; this, however, was not the only terrible thing he noticed. He was laying on his back in a kind of wooden table, naked, his hands and feet tied with cuffs at the ends of that cold table. He tried to look around as best he could, considering that his position that resembled an "x". The place was dark and cold. Luke looked around, he could not see any door or window, but there was a wooden ladder, it was a basement.

"Help!" He screamed and tried to loosen the handcuffs.

"Shhh, save your breath." His psychiatrist's calm voice came from behind him. "No one will hear you."

Luke remembered how Hannibal had dominated him in his home and left him unconscious. He began to tremble at the sound of the footsteps approaching. Hannibal then turned on the lamp that was above the table as if it was a chandelier in the dining room. Luke saw with horror that Hannibal was wearing a clear plastic apron and latex gloves, just like a butcher.

"What you're going to do to me?" Luke shouted desperately.

"What I'm going to do to you?" Hannibal seemed amused. "Well, that's a good question. What do you think I should do to you? "

"Let me go!"

Hannibal laughed and shook his head.

"I think don’t think it will be possible."

At that point Luke understood everything. He was screwed.

"All this is because of that puppy? I regret what I did to him, I swear, I regret!"

There was a small table with wheels beside the table where Luke was tied and Hannibal brought it closer, only then did he notice the surgical instrumentations arranged on that table. Hannibal looked at the various instruments and seemed to ponder on which he would pick first, then he took a gleaming scalpel. With a smile he came very close to face Luke.

"Usually, I don't let my victims suffer this much, but it will be a pleasure to hear you scream and beg."

"Will you kill me?" Luke tried but failed to hide the desperation in his voice.

"Killing you? No. First, I'll cut off your fingers, each phalanx, because you have dared to touch Will with your dirty hands. But you will not die because of it. Then I'll cut your dick, because that's what a rapist like you deserves. But you still will not die because of it. So when you're begging me to kill you, I will open a cut on your chest from your ribcage to your lower abdomen and I'll make sure you're awake while I play with your internal organs. And then when you're high because of the pain, then you will regret what you did to Will." Hannibal smiled at the picture he was already painting in his head. "This will run off a bit of my design, but I think it will be worth it."

****

Hannibal did not want Will to see or participate in the murder; he did not want to inflict more pain to the boy. Will had met darkness and it had marked him, but he was still pure in some way, and Hannibal would not take it from him. But he had to know that this man would never hurt him again.

Will was sitting on the couch in the living room, hugging Winston. He had been there listening to the screams for the last three hours as an order of his Master. Hannibal had demanded Will to stay there sitting on the couch, which was near the basement door - close enough for him to hear and be sure that Hannibal was fulfilling his promise to kill the monster - but the closed doors wouldn't let Will see it. The screams became sobs and then it was quiet, then it start all over again.

Will covered his ears and started crying too. Not for pity of the monster, but because his screams resembled his own when Webber was torturing him. Then, the basement door finally opened and Hannibal stepped outside, covered in blood. Hannibal approached him slowly, for Will not to be frightened by image in front of him. With a twinge of sadness, he noticed the condition of the boy and felt a hint of guilt for it was not his intention. But when Will put Winston aside and rose from the couch to meet Hannibal midway, all his fears that he had hurt Will just disappeared.

"It is done." Hannibal said and sighed.

He saw Will's eyes fill with tears again before the boy threw himself in his arms, not caring that Hannibal was covered in blood. Hannibal hugged him back, burying his face in the boy's neck.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you..." He thanked Hannibal, just like he did when Hannibal had killed Webber.

Hannibal smiled, "I told you I would take care of it."

Will nodded and seemed to sob. Then he pulled away and looked at the basement door.

"He'll stay there?" Will asked in childish tone.

"No, I'll get rid of him later." Hannibal walked to the door, locking it.

He came closer to Will and kissed his lips gently.

"Come on, let’s go up stairs, we need to clean ourselves."

Will looked down at his clothes and noticed that he was also bloodstained. Will frowned and looked at Hannibal, and desperately started rubbing his hands on his clothes to clean the blood but it was useless. Then Will saw that there was also blood on his arms and he started shaking and breathing rapidly and Hannibal realized that the boy was having another panic attack. He walked again to Will and hugged him. Hannibal understood; Will reacted to the blood on his clothes as any child would react.

"The blood is not yours Will, you're not hurt."

They stayed like that for a while until the boy calmed down again. Hannibal pulled back and held his hand.

"Come." Hannibal said with a smile.

Will smiled back. He wiped a tear that was falling from his face with the knuckle and picked Winston from the couch before being carried up the stairs by his master.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know you wanted a Killer!Will, but he is too cute to be a killer. Maybe later.  
> Comments, please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, I know I promised to update yesterday, but a lot of things happened.  
> But the wait will have been worthwhile.  
> Some smut, at last.
> 
> Edited 04/07/2014

Hannibal and Will were lying on the bed of the master bedroom after taking a bath to wash the blood from their skin. They were on their sides, facing each other, still wrapped in towels they had used to dry. Hannibal stroked Will's wet hair and the boy gently touched Hannibal's chest, feeling the strength of those muscles under the skin, the movement of his chest as he breathed. Will marveled at the way his Master was strong, relentless and yet so gentle with him. Will moved closer and rested his head on Hannibal's chest, listening to the heartbeat. Hannibal was his refuge, his peace. He never felt so safe, so loved. This was love. It could only be love. Only someone who loves would do what Hannibal did.

"Will..." He heard his Master's voice calling him, snapping him out of his reverie. "Are you okay?"

The boy nodded. Hannibal looked at the boy in his arms. On his face he could see all the gratitude for what he had done to Luke, gratitude and acceptance. Hannibal had never imagined telling anybody about his hobby; much less kill anyone for the benefit of another person. He was dark, alone and a wounded soul, similar to Will. Well, Will's soul was not dark, but he had known the darkness and pain, and it had stained him. Even in his innocence, he could see beyond Hannibal's mask, from the very first day. Will understood him, in a level that no one has ever understood. He accepted him for what he was.

How long had Hannibal been waiting for someone to understand him? Will was the one.

But even though he knew that Will had accepted that he was a killer, Hannibal had to make sure that Will would not tell his secret. Will was too innocent, and perhaps by some slip of the tongue he ended up telling someone. Hannibal didn't want to have to appeal to the boy's fear, but this was the only way to make Will understand.

"Do you understand that I killed Luke?" Hannibal said with a serious tone.

"Yes. He… was bad... and ... he deserved it." Will replied in a low voice, somewhat hesitantly.

"Yes, he deserved it." Hannibal smiled. "He could not get away after having hurting you." He took a deep breath, "but this must be our secret."

"Secret?" Will said confused and lifted his head to look at Hannibal.

"Our secret. If people find out what I did, they will want to separate us." Hannibal said with a twinge of sadness.

"No…" Will shook his head and frowned, this was wrong.

"They won't understand that what I did was justice. They will get scared and want to tear us apart, so I would not be your master anymore. They will take you away from me."

"No!" Will pressed his face against his chest and held Hannibal in a tight grip, as if he would disappear in that minute. "I don't want to leave. I want you to stay here with you!"

"I don't want to lose you either." He kissed Will's forehead. "So, we have to keep it a secret. No one must know." Hannibal cupped Will's face and made him look straight into his eyes. "You promise you will not tell any of this to anyone?"

Will nodded frantically. He would not survive if someone took him away from Hannibal. Nobody would be so good to him, no one would make him feel safe, no one would protect him, and no one would make him feel what he felt when Hannibal touched him. He could not let that happen. Keep a secret? He would do that, he had to.

"I promise."

"Good boy." Hannibal pressed a soft kiss on the boy's lips.

Will's lips were so soft. He placed his hands on Hannibal's chest, just letting himself being kissed. The older man shifted on the bed so he was on top of the boy. Will lips parted instinctively and Hannibal slid his tongue inside the boy's mouth, feeling his warmth.

Hannibal would not go beyond what was allowed, but when he had that kid in his arms, he simply lost control of himself. Everything he wanted was that boy, he wanted to take him right there and then. His skin was soft and warm; it was not as cold as his victims. Will was alive and he wanted to feel this life. He wanted to be inside him. Why did Will's kisses had to make him feel that way? It was as if the boy were some hallucinogen that made him loose control.

Will groaned when Hannibal's lips found their way to his neck. The boy tried to hold back the moan, but the feeling was too intense. He writhed and groaned while Hannibal sucked the pulse point in his neck, changing between soft and hard. He had never felt anything like that. He never liked for anyone to touch him, because he always ended in pain. But Hannibal was not hurting him. What he felt when Hannibal was touching him was… good, he felt really good.

Hannibal's hands slid down Will's body, a soft touch, but it sent shivers throughout his body. His skin was so soft… Hannibal kissed the boy's neck and moved down, kissing his shoulder, his collarbone, and his chest. He felt the boy squirm and moan to the touch, he heard his irregular breathing and how flushed he was. Hannibal then turned his attention to Will's nipple and started licking and sucking it, lightly and harder. Will arched his back and grabbed the sheets, writhing.

Will felt something different down there, something he had never felt before. It was hot and cold at the same time, it was… different, strange.

"Hannibal…" he groaned and Hannibal stopped, pulling away a little to look at Will.

"What?" He asked puzzled.

"I don't know… I'm feeling something… down there." Will did not know what word to use to describe what he was feeling.

Hannibal raised an eyebrow and looked down. Since them both were only wearing towels, it was easy for Hannibal to unfasten it, exposing the boy and his erection. Hannibal smiled and turned to kiss Will's neck, even more gently.

Will looked down and saw his hard cock. The expression on his face was so shocked and innocent that Hannibal could not believe it. Will looked away, blushing like a tomato.

"You are aroused, that's all." Hannibal said with his lips on Will's neck. "This has never happened before?" Hannibal said pulling away slightly and leaning on his forearm.

Will shook his head. As much as Webber tried to encourage the boy, he was always too scared or in too much pain for his body to respond. Will never enjoyed anything that happened, had never been aroused and had never felt pleasure. Everything was made of pain and fear. Once or twice he had woken up hard in the middle of the night, but he had no idea what to do. The hardness soon went away by itself and he went back to sleep. He didn't know that his body would react Hannibal's touch that way, so he had so many conflicting feelings inside him. He felt scared, disgusted, lost, not knowing what to do.

Suddenly, tears came to his eyes and he looked away.

"It's okay, Will. This is a perfectly normal thing, no reason to feel ashamed. If you let me, I'll help you take care of it. "

Will looked back at Hannibal. He knew what it meant, he remembered the things he had to do when Webber was suddenly hard and he had to take care of it and merely the memories sent chills down his spine. Hannibal realized that the boy was tense and had begun to tremble, but Will nodded.

Hannibal leaned over again and kissed his lips gently, even more gently than before. His hands wandered over the boy's body until he found the boy’s hips. He noticed that Will stopped breathing just before he touched Will’s cock. The boy was tense and closed his eyes, as if ready to feel a terrible pain. Hannibal didn't stroke Will's cock right away; he gave the boy time to get used to the feeling of his hand.

"Relax, this will not hurt."

"Nnnnn…" Will groaned.

Hannibal bit Will’s neck and gently squeezed his cock, first running his thumb up the underside. Will let out a small whimper.

"Relax." Hannibal said as his fingers moved slowly, allowing time for Will get used to the feeling.

Hannibal tightened his hand just a little, Will had to stop a noise from leaving his mouth when he felt Hannibal's thumb over his glans as he started rubbing it. What was that? Never in his life had Will felt anything like that. It was… scary and… good…

"Aaahh…" Will moaned as Hannibal began stroking faster and harder. Will pushed his head back into the pillow, amazed with what he was feeling. "Hannibal… I…” he whispered.

Will started to move his hips, pushing into Hannibal's hand instinctively, without knowing exactly why he was doing it. Hannibal smiled at how Will was so responsive to his ministrations.

"Good boy, just like that. Relax and let it happen, I will not hurt you."

He felt sparks of pleasure running up his spine. He never thought he would be enjoying having someone touching him, but Hannibal was teaching him lots of things he never knew about himself. He felt his body tense, but was not afraid. He felt something bubbling inside him, and the feeling was grew and grew until…

"Hannibal!" He screamed as he came in Hannibal’s hands.

Will trembled, panting, still floating in the afterglow. Hannibal leaned to kiss the boy’s wet forehead.

"My love. My little one." Hannibal whispered to Will's ear, and started kissing his neck gently.

Will was surprised to notice that he was not disgusted about what just happened. He knew it would be different with Hannibal. With Hannibal, he did not feel a piece of meat to be used. With Hannibal, he felt no fear. With Hannibal, it was definitely not a _Bad Thing_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do you think?  
> it worth?  
> : )


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello guys!!  
> Sorry for the delay, 'in the wolf's liar' took all my time.  
> but this chapter is really long, so enjoy it
> 
> Edited 04/07/2014

Hannibal woke up slowly, blinking a few times to get rid of the sleep. The first thing he saw was a mass of black hair just a few inches from his face. He smiled. They were lying on his bed, Will with his back to him and Hannibal with an arm wrapping Will’s waist. He pulled him close and heard the boy mumble some protest, but soon he became quiet again, he was still asleep.

Will didn’t have a problem sleeping alone in his bedroom, this time it was Hannibal who insisted the boy sleep in his bed where the blond man could keep an eye on him, and comfort him if he had any nightmare and cover the boy with soft kisses. He just loved to sleep with him in his arms. The best part was waking up in the morning and watching the boy sleep. Hannibal buried his face in his hair and inhaled deeply.

Will was getting better, slowly, but he was only just improving. It was still hard for him to leave the house, still frightened by the incident with Luke, but he walked around the backyard and the sun did him some good. He had some nightmares after that day, some with Webber, some with Luke, but Hannibal was always there to soothe him.

Will allowed Hannibal to touch him, and that was the biggest improvement of all considering his trauma. Hannibal kissed the boy's whole body, and gently touched him on his private parts, teaching the boy the right way to touch, where to touch, showing him that he could do things with no pain.

The boy was reluctant at first; Hannibal knew he would always have to be careful with the boy in this aspect. Ten years of being raped almost every night is not something one can easily forget. But he trusted that Hannibal would not hurt him, then his fears went away and he relaxed, feeling the lips and hands of his Master in his body. And it felt so good. The two played with their hands and gave each other pleasure, but never went beyond the kisses and 'innocent touches'. The last barrier between the two would fall, but Hannibal was in no hurry. Hannibal would make the boy enjoy every second of their intimacy when the time comes.

Hannibal was deep in thought when he realized that Will had begun to wake up and stir. He rolled over and looked at Hannibal with those big blue eyes. Hannibal smiled. He loved the boy.

"Good morning." He brushed a strand of hair away from Will's face as he yawned and rubbed his eyes. It was such a childish gesture, but Hannibal thought it was so cute.

"Good morning." Will smiled shyly.

"Let's get out of bed."

"Can I sleep a little longer?" Will asked making that puppy face which melted Hannibal's heart.

"All right. Ten minutes while I make breakfast. "

The psychiatrist kissed Will's forehead and stood up. He put on his robe and reached the door. He turned around to look once more to his beloved and saw Will had fallen asleep again.

****

" _In the end ... it was evident I s-s-should tie the two_ _b-b-b_ " Will stuttered with the book too close to his eyes.

"Borders" Hannibal helped.

"Borders" Will raised his head and repeated the word, then went back to reading the book. "... _The two b-borders of life_." He continued with admirable effort. " _R-rebuild the youth in my old age_."

"Very good." Hannibal praised.

The two were in the office, Hannibal was sitting at his desk organizing some papers and Will was sitting across him, taking the time to read.

" _But, sir, I could not recall what is gone or who I was_." Will raised his head again and looked at Hannibal with a question in his eyes. Hannibal looked at the boy waiting for the question that surely was bubbling in his head, but the boy seemed to think and decided not to ask anything, returning to the lesson. " _If only I have f-forgot of other people... A man can cope more or less with p-people he l-l-l…"_

"Lost." He said with an affectionate look.

" _Lost_." Will had a confused expression. " _But what was missing was myself, and this g-gap was everything_."

So Will raised his head and looked very confused at Hannibal. He bit his lip and seemed to make a tremendous effort to think. It was so cute. Hannibal smiled. Will was reading _Machado de Assis's 'Sir Dour'_ , the first book he was trying to read alone. He was having trouble with some words, and got very frustrated when Hannibal helped him. However, his thirst for knowledge was something very interesting. He didn't wanted just read, he wanted to read and understand what he was reading. Hannibal knew exactly what would be Will's next words.

"I didn't understand." He said frowning.

"Bento, the character, is old. Nearing the end of life. All the persons who were dear to him had died and he is a bitter man." Hannibal calmly explains to the wide-eyed boy. "He reminds himself of his youth and he wishes he could go back in time to relive it all again. But he can't. That's why he'll tell his story now, to live it all over again through the words. See?"

"I think so." Will replied lamely.

"Maybe we should have picked a less complicated book."

Will put the book on the desk and rubbed his eyes.   "My eyes hurt when I read," He told Hannibal and frowned.

"Maybe you need glasses. We'll see a doctor in the early afternoon.” Will made a startled face.  "Then we can go to the park. What do you think?"

  "Can I play with the dogs?"  

"Of course."

****

Hannibal wanted to reward Will for his dedication to reading and his bravery in the ophthalmologist office. Will really needed glasses. They went to a park near Hannibal's home. Will liked the park because there would be dogs and since Hannibal would not buy a real dog for the boy, he could at least let him play with some at the park.

Hannibal was sitting on a bench under a tree, with his tablet in hand, reading the [TattlerCrime.com](http://tattlercrime.com/). The police had found the remains of Luke Smith and the murder was being attributed to some new killer. Hannibal smirked. He loved doing it; mess with the head of the FBI and with that ignorant person, Freddie Lounds. Hannibal was able to kill with different patterns, distracting the authorities and leaving Jack Crawford blind.

Hannibal raised his head and searched for Will with his eyes, finding him a few steps forward caressing the head of a dog. Hannibal did not like it.

"Be careful, Will! It may bite you!"

"She is nice!" Will replied looking at Hannibal with a smile.

Hannibal shook his head. There was no argument that Hannibal could use when it came to Will and dogs. But he could not deny it was a sight to see. The psychiatrist looked at the boy with an affectionate glance. Will was improving every day, but he loved his child-like posture. He smiled and went back to read about himself in that mediocre website.

Will was kneeling on the ground petting the dog. She was a Pit-bull. Will obviously did not know that. All what he knew was that she was a big, cute puppy, white fur and brown spots, amber eyes, head and paws larger than any dog he had ever seen. The dog was actually meek, letting Will touch her and leaning towards him with wagging tail.

Then the boy noticed the collar on the dog's neck and unconsciously brought a hand to his neck, to the scar that his own collar had left. Will swallowed and got serious and sad.

"I know what you're feeling." Will whispered to the dog that had her tongue out of her mouth. "I did not like my collar, you must not like yours either."

The dog moved his head to the side and Will smiled again.

"Tara!" Someone screamed and the dog turned her head toward the call, so did Will.

A dark-skinned man was coming toward them. He wore a sweater and sweatpants and had a leash in his hand. He was rushing towards them. One could have presumed that he was exercising in the park with his dog and the animal had departed from him. Will immediately straightened and stepped back when the man approached.

"Tara, there you are!" He said reaching the dog. He attached the leash on the collar and only then he looked at Will. "I hope she was had been kind to you." He said with a smile. "What is your name?"

Will looked at the man's face, then looked away and stepped back. He had not liked what he'd seen. At first glance, the man seemed a normal, tall, strong, more or less the same age as Hannibal. But Will knew better. He had known other monsters in the past to recognize when he saw one. Will looked desperately to the sides. Seeing Will's dumbness and his introverted behavior, the man realized that Will had something different and his eyes twinkled.

"Are you alone here, dear?"

"No." Will said with a trembling voice.

"Who's here with you?" The man insisted taking a step forward.

"I'm with My Mas..." He paused. "With Hannibal."

"Who?" The man asked confused, so the boy pointed to the bench where Hannibal was reading in his tablet.

"Him?" The man laughed.

Then Hannibal raised his head to check on Will and Will could see the change in his Master's face, from something peaceful to an extremely menacing expression. Hannibal stood up abruptly and walked toward Will and that strange man. Hannibal approached and grabbed Will by the arm, pulling him closer to him.

"You're okay, Will?" Hannibal asked, looking at the man.

"Yes," said Will, thinking that Hannibal was grabbing his arm a little too hard.

"Get in the car." Hannibal said with a heavy voice.

"B-but…" Will stammered. He did not want to leave Hannibal alone with that man. Will could see in his eyes that he did not like Hannibal and he wanted to hurt him."…I don't want…"

"Do what I'm said Will. _Get in that damn car!"_ Hannibal's voice rose and it was enough to hurt Will. The boy looked at him for a moment before he ran towards the car. Hannibal had cut him off in mid-sentence. Will did not mean that would not obey him, in fact he did not want to leave Hannibal alone with that man. Why couldn't Hannibal see what he saw?

Hannibal hated having to do that, but he did not want Will near that man.

"Hello Hannibal." The man said with a smile.

"When did you come back to Baltimore, Tobias?" Hannibal asked, trying to regain control now that Will was far away. "As far as I know, we have an agreement."

"I'm just visiting. I'm on tour with the _Chicago Symphony Orchestra_. We'll be here only until the end of the month."

Hannibal looked at him suspiciously.

"Rest assured, I will not have time to hunt in your territory. Which is a pity, by the way."

Tobias Budge grinned and looked in the direction in which Will had disappeared.

"New toy? I didn't know you were that kind of man." He said amused. "I mean, I understand you, it's a gorgeous twink. How long will you keep him?"

"Will is my protégé. If you dare to look at him again..." Hannibal said clenching his fists and taking a step forward. His eyes were penetrating and his posture was tense, a menacing predator. Tobias knew better than to play with fire and stepped back raising his hands in a defensive gesture.

"I know, I know. You'll rip my organs and eat them."

"That's right."

"Really?" Tobias provoked. "And since when does the Chesapeake Ripper care?"

"Listen to me now, as I hope this is the last time I'll have to talk to you." Hannibal said, and his eyes were dark with rage. "Do what you have to do here in Baltimore and leave. I'm not going to be as merciful as I was the last time if you harass my boy."

"Your boy?" Tobias smirked showing the white teeth. "I think every monster has a heart after all." He stepped back and Tara followed him. "Rest assured Hannibal. I'm not that bad."

He turned and walked across the lawn of the park taking the dog with him.

Tobias Budge was a serial killer. He attacked in Baltimore a few years ago making strings to his violin using the vocal cords of his victims. The path of the two predators crossed because of a patient, and the result was not pretty. The two almost ended up dead, but Hannibal triumphed over Tobias. He could have killed Tobias and have saved the headache, but for some reason decided it would be better to let him live, so he would owe Hannibal a favor. The only condition was that he leaves the state and Tobias did so as soon he could stand up. But now he was back. Hannibal had been mad when he saw his boy near him. The Ripper had taken Tobias' place as the Baltimore predator, and his pride had been wounded. He might want to hit him and hurt Will, and this would not do.

His instinct was to protect Will who had screamed when he saw that man near him. He was sure that Will was hurt because of the harsh words he had said to him, but he had to make the boy leave. He walked to the car and found Will huddled in the back seat, crying his eyes out. Hannibal opened the door slowly and entered the car, sitting in the backseat with Will. The boy approached Hannibal and rested his head on his lap. Hannibal had thought that Will would be afraid of him because he had yelled at him, but he was seeked comfort in Hannibal’s embrace. Hannibal ran a hand through Will’s hair to calm him down.

"Sorry, Master!" Will sobbed.

"It's all right Will." He said. "But you know you shouldn't talk to strangers."

"Are you mad at me?" He sniffed.

Hannibal took Will's by his arms and made him sit on his lap. He held the boy's chin to look into his eyes.

"I'm not mad with you, my dear."

"But you yelled at me…" his shoulders shook and Hannibal saw that Will would burst into tears again. The older man hugged him tight and kissed his forehead.

"I was scared. That man is bad..."

"I know. I saw it." Will said with a trembling voice, but was stopping to cry.

"He and I do not get along. I was afraid that he wanted to hurt you to get to me." Hannibal hugged Will harder and the boy rested his head on his shoulder. "If that happened, I don't know what I would do."

"Because you love me?" Will hiccupped, wiping his eyes with her sleeve.

"Exactly. Because I love you." Hannibal held his chin once more to say it looking into his eyes. "Will, do you forgive me for yelling at you?"

One last tear rolled down his face and his lower lip trembled slightly before he nodded. Hannibal kissed his lips lightly.

"Do you want some ice cream?" Hannibal asked with affectionate tone, placing a hand on Will's thigh. He knew how the boy loved ice cream and he wanted to calm him, but Will shook his head, sniffling.

"No, I'm tired. I want to go home. "

"All right then." Hannibal kissed his forehead again before pulling Will away gently and making him sit on the backseat.

Hannibal got out and looked around, searching for any sign of Tobias, but saw nothing. He entered the car again, this time sitting in the driver's seat and started the engine.

He had a bad feeling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think is going to happen now?


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everybody!  
> I'm sorry for the delay.  
> New chapter, it's short, but i hope you like it !!!
> 
> Edited 04/07/2014

Hannibal drove back to his house and when he parked the car and looked in the mirror, the boy was sleeping curled in on the back seat. Hannibal pondered on the fact why Will always slept after weeping or having a panic attack, like a child. He still felt that twinge of guilt for causing such distress to his precious boy.

The psychiatrist climbed out of the car and opened the door of the back seat to wake up Will. He ran his hand on the boy's curls. Will stirred and opened his eyes which were slightly puffy. He sighed in such a painful way that made Hannibal's chest ache.

"Wake up, little one." He said with soothing voice. "You can sleep in your bed."

Will sat up and rubbed his eyes. Hannibal reached out to Will and helped him to climb out of the car. The doctor had an arm around Will's shoulders as they walked to the door of the house in silence. As soon as they got in, Hannibal picked Will in his arms and carried him upstairs. The boy did not complain, just buried his face in his master's shoulder and let himself be carried.

Hannibal led him to the master bedroom and laid him on his bed. Winston was in the chair beside the bed and Hannibal grabbed it and handed it to Will, who took it with trembling hands and pressed it against his chest. Will winced, sighed painfully again and closed his eyes. Hannibal stroked his hair again and covered the boy with a soft blanket. He kissed Will's forehead and left the room, closing the door behind him.

While Hannibal went down the stairs, all he could think about was how hurt Will had looked when he had lost control and yelled at him. He did have a good reason, Tobias was _dangerous_ , and he didn't want him near his precious child. The fear, the possessiveness and his instinct to protect Will had take over him. He had hurt Will, and it was unbearable. He didn't want to be a menacing master; he didn't want Will to come to fear him like he had feared Webber. He decided that he would make the boy smile; he would please him with something.

However, another thought occurred to him, a more sinister thought. _Tobias Budge_.

That man was a threat. He noticed the way he had looked at Will and he did not like it. Hannibal knew Tobias; he knew what this man was capable of. The clash between the two had begun because one of Hannibal's patients, some years ago. Franklyn Froideveaux was, among many annoying things, Tobias's pet. Tobias was a manipulative predator; one would expect him to have a pet. Needless to say that Tobias had been quite unhappy to learn that Franklyn was harboring feelings for his handsome psychiatrist, even though such feelings were not reciprocated. In fact, the chubby man was so annoying that Hannibal had broken his neck in the middle of his office. One thing led to another, and before he realized he and Tobias were fighting in the middle of his office, breaking everything and turning the place into a mess of papers and blood. Hannibal had won the fight and exiled Tobias, but he knew very well that a predator with a wounded pride was ten times more dangerous.

He must have thought that Will was Hannibal's pet. Well, he was, but not in that way. He feared that Tobias would want to take Will from him, a kind of revenge for having been deprived of his slave. Hannibal would not let that happen, not while he kept breathing.

****

He was staying at a friend's house because he had sold his old house in Baltimore when Hannibal had exiled him. Tara, the pit-bull, was his friend's dog and since Tobias was going to run in the park, he could take the dog for a walk to thank for the hospitality. Although he was not very fond of the human race, he got along very well with animals like Tara. The fact that she was a Pit-bull was not scared of him and she did not seem to dislike him either.

The weather and the park were very nice. Before the exile, he used to run in this park. After all, a predator needs to keep in shape. He ran with Tara at his side and as his body and mind worked their magic.

It was good to be back in Baltimore after so long. When he had moved, he had to get used to the people in Chicago and he had changed his design, so the police would not associate his arrival with the several murders that occurred in Baltimore and Chicago. Of course it had lost a bit of the artistic appeal from before, but it was the thrill of the hunt that mattered. He thought about hunting in Baltimore again. Relive the good times, get back to the old method, but then the Chesapeake Ripper would know.

Hannibal, ugh!

He hated the man.

First, he had made his pet turn against him. Then he had killed him, depriving him of that pleasure. Then, he had been exiled and that was humiliating. He yearned for revenge.

He was thinking about all these things when he ran out of breath and had to stop. He bent over, placing his hands on his knees, gasping for air. Tara's leash had loosened from his hand. He had only the time to see Tara bolting through the field.

He began to look for Tara, already thinking about a thousand of excuses he could give to his friend for have lost his precious pit-bull. He called for her, but she was nowhere to be seen. He kept looking and found her with a curly-haired boy who was petting her. _'You're a slut, Tara_.' He thought as he approached the dog and the boy. 'What _kind of pit-bull are you to can't resist a petting?_ '. He approached and saw that kid looking at him with those big sapphire eyes, and he was so beautiful.

Wow, he was beautiful. Not exactly his type, he was too young, but he was beautiful nonetheless. His eyes were bright, but he diverted them in a submissive way. There was so much fear in them, fear and submission. He was a pet, a wonderful pet. He could see by his body language he had been taught to cower in the presence of someone stronger, more threatening, and Tobias was very threatening. Whoever had trained that pet, had done a good job.

The temptation was too great; he had to approach him. He tried to talk to him and then the boy called the only person that Tobias didn't expect to see in a park.

_Hannibal Lecter._

The boy was Hannibal's pet? Who knew? Hannibal _'I-am-perfect'_ Lecter had a pet. He was probably underage, and by the way Hannibal had reacted to his approach, he was very fond of the boy.

 _Will_. That was the name.

It would be a shame if something happened to this Will. Hannibal would be very sad.

Tobias laughed.

Oh yes, it would be a shame.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think Tobias is planning???  
> I want suggestions on what Tobias might do and how Hanni will handle it  
> Comments.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everybody!  
> Another chapter of "Will the puppy"  
> I hope you enjoy.  
> Jack enters the story. Will doesn't like it.  
> Fluff, very Fluff!!
> 
> Edited 04/07/2014

Will woke up slowly, feeling Hannibal's fingers in his hair.

"Will, honey, wake up." He heard that soft voice calling him. Slowly, he opened his eyes, blinking a few times and rubbing his eyes with the hand that wasn't holding Winston. He had a headache from crying so much. The boy buried his face in the pillow and tried to turn away from Hannibal's touch. He had forgiven his Master, but now he was in pain.

"No." He said with a muffled voice.

"No?" Hannibal said amused. Will knew he that Hannibal was smiling.

He was lying on his side, with his back to Hannibal. He felt the mattress sink under the weight of his master who lay down beside him. Hannibal wrapped an arm around Will's waist and brought him close, placing small kisses on his neck and making him shiver.

Hannibal was worried about him. He was worried that he had hurt him. Hannibal loved him so much. Will could feel it in the way Hannibal held him, gently, firmly, reassuringly and safely. Will felt safe in those arms.

"My head hurts." Will said with that tone that melted Hannibal's heart.

"Do you want to take medication?" Hannibal asked worried.

Will shook his head.

Yeah, Hannibal yelled at him and it was devastating. To the boy, it was like having his heart ripped from his chest. Will had cried as he ran toward the car. He was crying because he was hurt, he cried because his master, whom he loved so much, had yelled just like Webber had. Will was afraid. He was afraid that Hannibal would turn into his previous owner and that he would hurt him, he was afraid that maybe Hannibal didn't love him anymore. What if Hannibal didn't want him anymore?

What would he do if that were true? He was desperate. He got in the car and huddled in the back seat waiting for Hannibal, ready to be humbled, ready to accept any punishment that Hannibal wanted to give him, he would do everything to be his little one again. So when Hannibal got in the car and hugged him, the relief he felt brought tears to his eyes. Hannibal loved him. He understood now that Hannibal was only trying to protect him from that man because that man was bad. Hannibal had done it for his sake.

Hannibal bit Will at the point where the neck joins the shoulder, earning a soft moan from the boy.

"Are you still sad?" Hannibal asked brushing his lips on Will's neck.

Will shook his head and leaned closer to his master, feeling the safety of his chest against his back. Hannibal continued to devour Will's neck, kissing, biting, licking, leaving little bruises; marking the boy as his. His hand explored the boy's chest and wasted no time undoing the buttons of his shirt.

"Hannibal…" Will groaned when he realized that Hannibal's hand was getting very ' _curious_ '.

"Ssshhh… let me show how sorry I am…"

For a moment, Will thought that Hannibal would do _that thing_ with his hands. He held his breath. He knew it would not cause him any pain, but it was still hard for him to be touched there. However, as Hannibal's hand got closer to the waistband of his pants, the doctor started tickling Will's sides.

"Ahh!!! Hannibal!" Will writhed and screamed through his giggles. "Please!"

"What? I can't hear you." The doctor laughed, pleased to be making his precious boy smile.

"Hanni!" Will tried to push Hannibal away, but the doctor was on top of Will, with one leg on each side of his hips, holding him in place. Hannibal's hair had gone wild because of that, but it was worth it. After a few more seconds of torture, Will was panting and flushed. His eyes were closed and his expression was ten times softer than before. Still straddling Will's lap, Hannibal leaned on his elbows and stared at the boy's face.

"I love you, Will." Hannibal said with all the sincerity of his heart.

Will opened his eyes and held eye contact with Hannibal, a rare thing. Will smiled looking into Hannibal's eyes and beyond his mask, and saw that it was true.

"Love you too."

Hannibal leaned down and captured his lips in a soft kiss.

"Do you want to help me make dinner?" Hannibal said with a smile.

Will was silent. The kitchen was something precious to Hannibal. He had access to the rest of the house, except the kitchen. He was not allowed to touch anything in there. Hannibal allowing him to help him cook, was like he was giving to Will a part of his life, a part he'd never shared with anyone.

"I don't like knives." Will said softly looking away. Hannibal knew the source of Will's fear, and he did not want to force anything.

"You can wash the vegetables." Hannibal encouraged. "And you can help set the table. What do you say?"

"Okay." Will nodded shyly, not knowing how much it meant to Hannibal.

****

Hannibal was chopping onions and garlic on the counter while Will was washing the tomatoes, lettuce and other vegetables for the salad that Hannibal was preparing. Another thing Hannibal had noticed about the little one was that he had vegetarian tendencies, perhaps because of the condition of the meat that was given him to eat. The doctor did not complain. He was willing to make separate food for both of them. Will was not emotionally prepared to find that the meat that Hannibal ate was not exactly pork, chicken or beef, but something else entirely. While Will would eat salad, Hannibal would eat Luke's liver, roasted to the point with strawberry sauce. Will did not need to know that. One day perhaps, when the boy wasn't so unstable and could accept that Hannibal was a cannibal just like he had accepted that he was a killer, but until then he would fool Will to make him think he was eating pork when in fact, he was eating people. The trust between the two was something that had been gained with great effort and could be destroyed so easy. He had no problem in offering human flesh to the guests of his famous dinners, but Will was different.

"Clean those vegetables carefully." Hannibal instructed from where he was at the counter.

Will turned to him with a smile. He performed his task with care and delight, as if he was decorating a Christmas tree. It was adorable. Hannibal turned his attention to the chopped onions when Will squealed.

"Yuck! A worm! " Will squealed, making Hannibal laugh.

"That means the vegetables are fresh and free of pesticides. If there were poison in the vegetables, the worm would not be interested on them. Neither would I."

"Bye little worm!" Will said innocently, seeing the poor thing go down the sink drain.

At that moment they heard the doorbell ring.

Hannibal straightened up. He was not expecting any visitors. They heard the sound of the doorbell again and then someone knocking at the door. Intrigued, Hannibal dropped the knife and wiped his hand on a kitchen towel. He looked at Will before leaving the kitchen still wearing the white apron.

Hannibal walked slowly to the door but did not open it immediately. He was not expecting anyone, and a predator as he was could not afford to be caught off guard. He pulled back the curtain of the window next to the door and saw a man on his porch. He was dark-skinned. He wore a beige coat and seemed impatient. Hannibal did not know him, but now considered him rude.

He took a deep breath and put on his mask before opening the door. The dark-skinned man smiled and Hannibal smiled back. Hannibal had a second to look to the man in front of him before he started talking. He wore good clothes but not so expensive. His feature was tired, as if sleep was not an option. He had a briefcase in one hand and Hannibal could see the brown leather of his holster.

Police. Great!

"Yes?" Hannibal said.

"Are you Dr. Hannibal Lecter?" The man asked.

"Yes, that's me." Hannibal kept calm.

"I'm Agent Jack Crawford, from the FBI. Can we talk?" he asked, and when he saw that Jack Crawford's posture was not threatening he opened the door and stepped away, making room for him to come inside.

"Sure." Hannibal said and led him into the living room.

"I hope you'll excuse my clothes, I was making dinner." Hannibal said, pointing to the apron still tied to his waist.

"I should apologize for being disturbing you in your house, Doctor, the smell is delicious." Crawford smiled. "Hey, boy!" Crawford said smiling, looking over Hannibal's shoulder.

Immediately Hannibal turned and almost he let his mask fall. Will. The boy was standing in the kitchen door with frightened eyes.

"Is he your son?" The agent asked with a sincere smile.

"Yes… my son." He approached Will and the boy held his hand as if Jack was there to take Hannibal away. "Go to your room, I'm going to talk to Agent Crawford, now." he said with loving voice.

Will hesitated but obeyed, remembering what happened the last time he had argued.

He did not like Crawford either.

Only after Will had disappeared on the top of the stairs Hannibal did return to the living room. He gestured at the two armchairs and they sat facing each other.

"He's a beautiful boy."

"Thank you. I am his legal guardian. It's a long story." Hannibal said not wanting to speak about the subject.

"Is he _special_?" Jack asked, catching Hannibal off guard. "I mean, does he have special need?"

"Why do you ask?"

"The way he grabbed your arm." Crawford pointed and Hannibal was proud he had self-control, or he would have more meat in his refrigerator before the end of the night. "Sorry, I'm the head of the Behavioral Science Unit, sometimes it's hard to turn off the radar."

Count to 10, Hannibal. Count to 10.

"He is special in many ways." Hannibal said with a serious tone.

"Of course he is… I admire you for that. Me and my wife tried to have children for a long time, we even thought about adopting a special child as well, but my job took up all my time at the time and now we're old."

An uncomfortable silence fell in the living room.

"How can I help you, Agent Crawford?" Hannibal asked, wanting to get rid of Crawford as soon as possible.

"Do you know Luke Smith?" Crawford said wasting no time.

"Yes, he was my patient."

"He _was_?" he asked puzzled.

"Yes. Some weeks ago I recommended him to another psychiatrist." He said with confidence.

"Why?" Crawford seemed interested.

"He was not making any progress with me. Did something happen?" It was so easy to pretend concern.

"He had been murdered."

"Oh…" Hannibal said feigning surprise.

And the Oscar goes to-

"We think Luke was involved with pedophilia, we have found a disturbing material in his house. Did he mention anything?"

"The reason why I recommended him to another doctor was exactly because he did not open up to me." and that was true.

"We also linked him to another murdered pedophile, Andrew Webber. Did he mention this name to you?"

"No,” he said, with the perfect mask of confusion, "What kind of connection?" He asked wondering if that would lead them to Will.

"Only his phone number. We think there is a serial killer out there doing justice with their own hands, killing pedophiles and rapists."

"Awful." Hannibal frowned to demonstrate a concern that he didn’t have. "Any clues?"

"No. I was hoping you could tell me anything, being Luke's psychiatrist." Crawford did not hide the frustration.

"I'm sorry. I can not help."

"Maybe you can."

"How so?"

"I've read your articles, you are the best to profile a person. Perhaps you could give us a hand from time to time." Crawford offered with a sincere smile and at that moment Hannibal knew that had hoodwinked the police again.

"I have patients to see; and my boy. I'll think about it."

"Please-" Crawford stood up and pulled out a card from the pocket of his coat and handed it to Hannibal who stood up. "This is my phone number. Call me if you change your mind."

"I will." Hannibal smiled.

Hannibal walked Crawford to the door and opened it.

"Good night, Agent Crawford."

"Good night, Doctor Lecter." He said before walking out the door.

Hannibal stood quietly watching Crawford go down the steps of his porch and walk to a car. He closed the door and sighed. Suddenly, he heard the sound of something crashing upstairs.

Something was wrong.

"Will…" he muttered while he headed to the stairs.

He shouldn't have let Will alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to comment!!  
> Thank you for reading!!!!


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everybody!  
> Okay, do not hate me, please.  
> This chapter is a bit distressing to read, then brace yourselves
> 
> Edited 05/07/2014

Hannibal went upstairs feeling something weird in the pit of the stomach. He didn't know why, but he began to feel afraid. What could have caused that noise? Was Will okay? Hannibal reached the second floor and headed to his bedroom and opened the door. He was relieved by what he saw.

Will was sitting on the bed hugging Winston, safe and sound. He had a very scared face, but he was fine. Hannibal let out a breath he did not know he was holding.

"Will, are you okay? I've heard something."

"The noise came from the other room." Will said.

After hearing this, Hannibal was on alert.

"It was not you who made the noise?"

Will shook his head and shrugged.

Hannibal had imagined that this could happen. Tobias was in the house. All his predatory instincts sharpened. He had to protect Will; he had to get rid of the threat. " _Stupid, I should have known_." Hannibal thought. Hannibal headed to his nightstand and opened the top drawer and grabbed a hunting knife. When Will saw the knife in Hannibal's hand he began to shake with fear.

Hannibal just hated to cause such distress in Will. Having an intruder in the house must terrify Will. And that was Hannibal's fault. He should have killed Tobias when he had the chance. He would never forgive himself if Tobias hurt Will because of his misjudgment years ago when he had thought it would be better to keep Tobias alive.

The Ripper approached Will and cupped his face with his free hand.

"Will, stay here in this room. Don't go anywhere until I come to you. Do you understand me?" He said with a firm voice trying to make Will understand the danger.

"Hannibal…" Will whined.

"Do you understand me?"

Will nodded and hiccupped. Hannibal approached him and kissed his forehead before turn away from the boy and walk towards the door. Will left the bed and ran toward Hannibal, grabbing his arm.

"No, Hannibal, don't go there!" Will pleaded. "There's a monster in there!"

Hannibal could see the despair of the boy. Will was worried about him and that was heartbreaking.

"I know, Will." Hannibal said. He pulled Will closer, wrapping an arm around his waist and kissed him deeply. With pain in his heart he pulled away from Will and left the room.

Hannibal walked through the corridor with the knife in his hand. The house was silent. He walked in silence, alert to any noise or movement. He reached the door of Will's bedroom and turned the knob. He opened the door. Hannibal got inside carefully. His eyes and ears analyzed the entire room. The only odd thing about the place was that the window was broken, but there was nobody in the room.

Hannibal approached the window, taking care to look in every corner searching for Tobias, he even had checked under the bed. The window had been broken with a rock that was fallen on the wooden floor.

Hannibal frowned. There was no sign of Tobias in the room besides the broken window. He no longer heard noises in the house. Maybe he was just sending a message to Hannibal, saying that he could break in the house if he wanted to. That was going too far. Hannibal would ask Alana to take care of Will that night, because he would hunt Tobias wherever he was. No one, absolutely no one would threat Hannibal and his boy and gets away with it. He would check every room in the house to make sure that Tobias was not there, but first he had to see Will and reassures him.

With that uneasy feeling in the pit of the stomach, Hannibal headed to his bedroom where Will was waiting, obviously terrified. Hannibal reached the door of his room and noticed that the door was ajar; he never left doors ajar. He entered the room and Will was crying huddled in a corner of the room.

"Will? It's okay, babe. There's nobody in here." Hannibal said with a soft tone.

Will kept crying terrified, and Hannibal figured it was because of the knife in his hand. To reassure the boy, Hannibal dropped the knife on the floor and raised his hands so the boy could see they were empty

The boy raised his hand and pointed to somewhere behind Hannibal. The psychiatrist didn't have time to turn around. He felt someone grab him from behind, choking him with one arm around his neck. Hannibal struggled, kicking and using his elbows to try to break free at the same time he saw Will having a panic attack. And then he felt a sharp pain in his side. It was a needle.

"Sshhh, doctor." He heard Tobias's voice whisper in his ear. "Don't fight."

He had been drugged. He could feel his heart beating faster and the sudden cold. His vision blurred and he began to feel dizzy. He could hear Will's screams while Tobias laid him on the floor.

 _"Will. I have to protect Will…"_ he thought.

He felt something heavy on top of him and he tried to focus his vision. Tobias was straddling his hips.

 _"I'll kill you, you bastard!"_ Hannibal thought, but the drug prevented him of speaking.

With trembling hands he tried to push Tobias, but the drug was acting fast. Tobias laughed and leaned to speak in Hannibal's ear.

"Look, Hannibal. I'm not an ungrateful man." Tobias said smiling. "You had been pious to me, then I'll be pious to you. You're not going to die today. But…" Tobias grabbed the knife that Hannibal had dropped and buried it in Hannibal's shoulder with a fast, painful movement. "You took something from me, then it's only fair that I should take something from you. An eye for an eye."

_"No, no!"_

Although the drug left him paralyzed, he felt the pain of the stab in all its glory. Hannibal could not move, he was going into shock and he began to lose blood. Tobias stood up and with a devilish grin he walked toward Will.

"Hello Will." He said with a smile.

_"Get away from him!"_

"Hannibal!" Will shouted and tried to hide under the bed, but Tobias grabbed his ankle and dragged him easily.

_"Take your hands off him!"_

Hannibal watched everything helplessly. He saw Tobias turn Will so that the kid was lying face down on the floor. With disgust he saw Tobias straddling him. Will screamed and cried desperately. This could not be happening. He could not hurt Will.

"No! No! No! Hannibal!" Will was crying for help, but Hannibal couldn't do anything.

_"Oh, Will, forgive me, forgive me!"_

He saw Tobias grabbing Will's wrists and pinning them in his back. Will screamed in pain and Hannibal wanted to die for being unable to move and help his child.

"Hannibal, help me!" Will sobbed.

Tobias took something from his pocket, something that Hannibal recognized as violin strings. He tied Will's wrists and the boy continued to scream. Then Tobias pulled Will's hair, making him arch his back. Hannibal felt fear and hatred. Tobias leaned over and said to Will's ear.

"Shut up! Do you want me to kill him?" He pointed to Hannibal.

"No!" Will whined.

"Then you going to stay very quiet now." Tobias took a muzzle from another pocket and gagged Will.

He turned Will again, so the boy was lying on his back on the floor, which was quite uncomfortable because his hands were tied behind his back. Will's gaze was terrified. Tobias punched the boy's face. Hannibal wanted to scream. Will tried to open his mouth but no sound came out. The only thing that could be heard was the cracking cry, muffled by the gag.

"I told you to shut up!" Tobias grunted through clenched teeth, punching Will's delicate face again.

Tobias took his knife and showed it to Will, the knife covered with Hannibal's blood. He ran the blade down Will’s cheek, cutting the skin.

"I am your master now, _puppy_." Tobias smiled, watching as the blood drip down his new pet’s cheeks.

Will tried to scream through the gag and desperately looked at Hannibal. Tears streamed from Hannibal's eyes. Tobias picked up Will and threw him over his shoulder, carrying the boy as if he were a sack of potatoes. Tobias approached Hannibal again.

"Before we go, I would like to say that you don't need to worry. I'll take good care of our puppy here." Tobias slapped Will's ass as Will whined and struggled.

 _"Don't you dare to hurt this boy!"_ Hannibal screamed, but no words came out of his mouth.

Tobias turned and began walking toward the door. Hannibal could see Will's face, the way he looked pleadingly to Hannibal as he was being carried away from him. Soon they were too far and Hannibal could no longer see them.

 _"Will..."_ Hannibal felt increasingly weak.

Tobias had taken Will.

_"Will...”_

He would hurt him.

Everything was turning black around him. The pain in his shoulder was terrible. The hatred he felt was suffocating.

_"Will...”_

He had failed to protect him. Hannibal felt such hatred for himself for letting it happen. He had broken his promise to protect Will from all the monsters.

_"Will...”_

Hannibal could still see the terrified look on Will's face while Tobias carried him away. All the fear and pain he felt. His precious boy... He had lost Will.

_"Will...”_

Hannibal closed his eyes, not caring if he would ever open them again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Will. Poor Hanni!!!!  
> What's gonna happen now?  
> Comments please!!


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is tense.  
> Brace yourselves.  
> Thank you all for the comments and kudos. I just love you all !!!
> 
> Edited 05/07/2014

Tobias had made his decision even before turning his back to Hannibal at the park. He would have time to execute his plan once he was free of rehearsals and concerts for that week. Moreover, he was eager for action.

He returned to his friend's house and packed his things. He was glad that his friend was not at home to make stupid questions that would have to be answered with a cut on his throat. He took the keys of the cabin that his friend had in the woods and went on hunting.

In his bag there was everything he needed for hunting. Knives, ropes, clothe strips, etc. He also had a bottle of a powerful tranquilizer that he had used a few times. That diminished the fun of having a prey struggling underneath him, but if he wanted to have an advantage over Hannibal, he would have to resort to low blows.

It was not difficult to break into Hannibal's house, Tobias thought. That boy was making him inattentive. The Ripper was not the same. If by chance Hannibal came out of this alive, Tobias would be doing him a favor by getting rid of Will.

He had stood there, watching the movement inside the house, and then he saw a dark-skinned man knock on the door and Hannibal led him into the house. Soon after, he saw that the light of one of the rooms upstairs was on. He deduced that Hannibal had dispatched the boy to the bedroom upstairs while he was talking to that man. The idea came to him. He threw one stone in one of the windows, knowing very well that Hannibal would check the source of the noise alone. Getting in the house through the front door was not difficult at all since Hannibal, in his desperation to protect Will, had left the door unlocked.

He climbed the stairs quickly and had found the boy alone in Hannibal's bedroom. It was so fun. Once Will saw him come through the door, the boy had fallen off the bed and crawled to the nearest wall, crying and trying to put as much distance as possible between the two. Tobias put a finger in front of his lips, silently commanding Will to be quiet. He heard Hannibal's footsteps approaching and leaned against the wall, so that when Hannibal opened the door, he would be hidden between the door and the wall. He heard Hannibal trying to calm the boy and it was so pathetic.

Show time.

After Tobias had thrown the boy over his shoulder, Tobias felt great. He had wounded the beast. He went down the stairs quietly and the boy kept struggling. Ah, that was fun. Before leaving the house, Tobias went to the kitchen and left a piece of paper on the table.

When Hannibal woke up, he would understand the message and hopefully he could get rid of the Ripper for good.

****

_Hannibal is dead. Hannibal is dead. Hannibal is dead._

That was all that Will could think of.

_Hannibal is dead._

Will was quiet inside the trunk of the car. The boy did not know how long he was in there in the dark, perhaps too long. It was hard to breathe because of the gag, his wrists ached and bled, his face was hurt because of punches, and his heart ached.

_Hannibal is dead._

Endless tears rolled down his face. His master, his beloved master was dead. He saw the monster stabbing Hannibal; he saw the blood. Will called his master for him to save him and he did not move. If Hannibal did not move it was because he was dead.

That man had killed his master. That man would hurt him just as Webber had done. The days of joy and love were gone. The heat of Hannibal's body was gone. There would be no more books, hot baths, no more Winston. Will had been thrown into darkness and despair all over again. His life would be the living nightmare it was before Hannibal had found him. Will could feel every fiber of his body beginning to die along with Hannibal. Everything was losing color, taste, and heat… Everything was as if it was ash. Everything was so cold.

Will felt the car stop and could hear the driver's door being opened and closed with a bang. His heart was beating violently inside his chest. The dark-skinned man opened the trunk and he looked at Will with a devilish grin. The boy began to tremble and sweat, because he knew what that man would do to him.

Will wished Tobias had killed him. If Tobias would rape him, he would rather be dead first.

The dark man threw him out of the trunk, and then Will looked around and saw that they were in a place full of trees; they were in the woods. The car was parked in front of a small house. Will looked around frantically and saw that there were no other houses beyond that one.

"Here we are, puppy." Tobias said, turning away from Will. He opened the passenger door and grabbed his bag.

Will looked around. His legs were not tied, he could run now that the dark-skinned man was distracted, but the boy knew it was not a good idea. It was not only because his new master was very strong and had clear intentions of hurt him, but he was also in the woods. The city was scary, but he was getting used to the cars and people. The woods were scary in a tenfold. Besides, there was nowhere to go. He imagined that the man knew that, otherwise he would not have left Will's side.

Instead of throwing Will over his shoulder like he had done to get him out of Hannibal's house, Tobias just lifted him up to make him stand, then put one hand in the back of Will's neck. Will flinched, but Tobias kept squeezing it hard. He started walking toward the house, holding the bag in one hand and dragging Will with the other. The boy stumbled and almost fell, trying to keep up and resist at the same time. He didn't want to go in there, because he knew that when the door was closed behind him, his life would end.

Tobias and the boy reached the porch and the monster opened the door with a key he took from his pocket. Once the door was open, Tobias pushed Will inside the house and the boy fell, hitting his knees on the floor, just to add more pain to an already aching body. There on the floor, Will tried to crawl away from Tobias, but it was hard with his hands tied behind his back.

Will was terrified because now he and the monster were alone. He saw Tobias closing the door and locking it. He turned back to Will and he walked toward him with that devilish smile. Will started to scream but what had left his throat was a muffled sound. Will managed to crawl up to a wall and kept his back pressed against it. He had nowhere to go.

Tobias knelt before him and smiled, trying a reassuring smile, but Will knew better.

"I'm going to take the gag off you, because here in the forest you can cry how much you want and no one will hear you." Then he got serious. "But if you try to bite me, I will extract your teeth with pliers. Do you understand me?"

Will blinked a few times and a few tears dropped from his eyes. Tobias smiled and lifted his hand to remove the gag from Will's mouth. The boy flinched again, but Tobias didn't stop. So Tobias undid the gag and held the boy's chin, moving his head to the right and to the left. Will had a nice bruise under his eye and his lower lip was cut and it was still bleeding. Will didn't want Tobias to touch him. Only Hannibal had the right to touch him.

"No!" Will said through tears and tried to pull away but the monster was stronger and Tobias's other hand was clutching his shoulder.

"You're really beautiful, you know?" he said with a smirk.

The hand that was holding his shoulder had moved and found its way to Will's neck. The boy cried and trembled. He felt Tobias's fingers touching his skin, right where was the scar of his old collar and he could not help but shiver at the touch. His hands kept wandering around the boy's neck until he found the bite mark that Hannibal had left that afternoon.

"Hannibal has marked you, very good. Beautiful puppies like you should be marked for everyone to know whom you belong to."

Will cried, remembering the gentle touch of Hannibal. Hannibal had marked him because he loved him.

"My poor frightened puppy." Tobias said softly.

Tobias leaned over and buried his face on Will's neck.

"No! Don't touch me! " Will shouted. He could feel that Tobias was smiling against his skin before biting it strong enough to break the skin. "No!" He cried from fear and pain. Will could feel the blood trickling down his neck.

 _Fear. Pain. Fear_. It was all happening over again.

Tobias pulled away from Will and the image the boy saw was truly frightening. Tobias smiled, showing his teeth that were now red with Will’s own blood. A trickle of blood ran from his mouth and Tobias cleaned it with the sleeve of his coat.

"Now I have marked you as mine." He said with a smirk before turning around and walking to where his bag was on the floor.

Will slumped to the floor, shaking and crying. He could not breathe, his chest was hurting too much. His vision began to blur, it felt like the world was falling over him. Fear. Pain. Sadness. All the feelings that he was learning to overcome with Hannibal's help were coming back now, stronger than ever.

Will closed his eyes. He tried to shut his brain as he did when Webber was his master, but he couldn't. He kept telling himself to "turn off", but he couldn't stop thinking about Hannibal motionless on the floor of that room and all that blood. He couldn't stop thinking about what Tobias was doing to him right now.

"Hey, you better start breathing, boy. You'll be useless if you just die now." He heard the voice of the monster close to him.

The boy opened his eyes and Tobias was crouching in front of him. He grabbed Will's hair and pulled it, forcing the boy to sit up and lean against the wall. Will whimpered. He was tired of feeling pain; he was tired of the bad things that happening to him. Now that he was sitting, Will could see there was a little white box on the floor next to Tobias. He saw the monster open the box and grab a piece of gauze and a bottle with a clear liquid with strange smell. He saw him soaking the gauze with this liquid. Tobias held Will's chin again and boy flinched. Tobias turned Will's face to the side, exposing his neck and the fresh bite. He started to clean the wound roughly. The liquid felt like fire and his hands were heavy. Will remembered how gentle Hannibal had been when he had cleaned his wounds on the first day, and it only made him feel worse.

Will tried to turn off his brain again, and maybe he did manage for a few minutes, because when he opened his eyes, Tobias was closing the box and he had a bandage on his neck. If Will had a mirror, he would have noticed that Tobias had also cleaned the blood from his face.

Will was sad. It could not be happening again. He didn't want to go through all that pain again, not when he had found out what love means. Not when he had begun to live again. Tobias had taken it from him. Tobias had killed Hannibal.

"You're ‘orrible! You're a monster!" Will whispered feeling his eyes burn with tears again. "You've killed him!" Will lowered his head and tried to curl on the floor as much as possible.

"I really hope not." Tobias said pushing the box away, but remained kneeling in front of Will. "I didn't hit any vital organs, all I did was leave him a message and I hope he had got it. "

At these words Will straightened.

"He's alive?" Will whispered. In the darkness it was as if a beam of light had been lit. Hope was making his heartbeat violent. "He'll come to get me. He loves me."

Tobias smiled and leaned over Will to whisper on his ear.

"I'm counting on it."

Will felt the beam of light fade again. Fear filled his heart. Tobias pulled away and looked into Will's eyes.

"He will come for you, then I'll kill him for real. And then…" he grinned. "Well, you’ll see."

Will felt a chill down his spine.

"This doesn't need to be a bad thing, you know. If you're good, I'll be good. You know how it works."

Then Will saw Tobias get something out of the back pocket of his trousers. Will did not understand what was that right away, but then he saw Tobias smile and Tobias showed him the object.

"No!" Will shouted desperately.

"I noticed there was something missing on you, so I brought it."

Will began to try to struggle, but it was useless. Tobias leaned over and wrapped his neck with the piece of leather, tying it tight enough to hurt but not enough to suffocate him.

"No!" Will cried helplessly.

"A brand new collar for my brand new dirty puppy." Tobias said before getting up and moving away from Will, leaving the boy there on the floor.

****

Hannibal woke after a few hours when the effect of the drug had gone. Actually, what had made him wake was the pain in his shoulder. Hannibal opened his eyes and saw that it was dark in the house; it was night. How long he had been unconscious? He was lying on the floor of his bedroom; his head felt like it would explode, and his shoulder hurt so much. With great effort he managed to sit up. He placed a hand on his shoulder and found that he had been stabbed, but the blood was mostly dry.

Then all memories of what had happened came back like an avalanche.

"No." He cried alone in the darkness.

Reeling, he managed to stand on his feet. Tears of anger rolled down his face. Will, his precious Will. He had failed to Will, he should have protected him and now he was gone. Tobias would hurt him, Hannibal was sure.

"It's my fault." He muttered as he staggered out of the room, leaning on the walls.

What would he do now? Will was in danger. He would not survive without Will. He walked down the hallway stumbling but he managed to reach the stairs. He had to go down to the first floor.

With great difficulty he went down the stairs to the first floor. He needed to take care of this injury. He staggered to his office and grabbed the first aid kit that he kept in a drawer on his desk. He walked into the bathroom and lit the light. When he saw himself in the mirror, the image he saw was miserable. That man in the mirror didn't look anything like the Hannibal Lecter he had built. His hair was completely messy, his clothes ruined by the blood, his eyes had dark circles and the tears were rolling down his face. That was not the Ripper. That was a weak creature.

He took a deep breath. He would fix that.

He took off his shirt and looked in the mirror. Indeed, he would not die because of that wound, but he would need stitches. He grabbed a bottle of painkillers and slipped five pills in his mouth. He waited a few minutes for the medicine to do its magic and he began to clean the wound. It was difficult to make the stitches with just one hand. The right thing he should do was to go to a hospital, but everyone knows that Hannibal would never do that. He made the last stitches and left the bathroom. He needed to drink water.

He walked into the kitchen a little less wobbly. With each passing minute, the fog of the drug dissipated and he could walk better. The pain on his shoulder was still there, but the painkillers would fix that. He walked into the kitchen and looked at the table where the onions and garlic were still waiting to be cut; then at the sink, the tomatoes that Will was washing.

Will…

Then he saw a piece of paper on the table. He walked over, picked it up and started to read it.

_"Dear Doctor._

_Excuse my rudeness; I hope we can talk about this. What about dinner? Little Will will be here waiting for you."_

There was an address on the back of the note and Hannibal knew that's what Tobias wanted, he wanted Hannibal to come to him. Tobias would keep Will alive as long it was convenient. Will would be a bait to lure him, and Hannibal would indulge him.

_He would kill Tobias._

_He would make him suffer._

_He would tear him apart. Limb by limb, and he would make sure that Tobias was alive while he did it._

_He would keep him alive for weeks, even if he had to put a catheter in each hole of his body._

_He would see Tobias wither slowly. No arms and no legs, motionless on the wooden table in his basement._

_He would sew his lips, he would burn his eyes, and he would pierce his eardrums._

_He would remove an organ per week. He would prepare it with the finest spices and eat them in front of Tobias._

He would do all that and more, because he did what should never have done. He had hurt someone that Hannibal loved. The hate would guide him. The pain would make him keep breathing. The world would tremble now that the beast had been unleashed. The devil himself should fear the Ripper, cause now he was “ _The_ _Reaper”_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be blood! hehe  
> An epic fight on next episode.  
> stay tuned and keep reading.  
> Comments please.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everybody!  
> I'm so so so so sorry for the delay.  
> I was working, and - despite of what the Rolling Stones say - Time is not on my side.  
> This chapter is quite distressing, again, sorry. Just hold on and keep reading. Everything will be okay in the near future, I promise.
> 
> Edited 06/07/2014

Will's hands were no longer tied on his back, now they were tied in front of his body with the violin strings. Tobias had tied him that way after having released Will's wrists to strip him of his clothes.   Once the boy was naked, Tobias reveled in the sight of that thin, pale body. Will shook visibly and tried to cover his body as best he could under the circumstances. Tobias stroked Will's cheek, the same cheek with the bruise and smiled when the boy flinched. His hand ran up the curls of the boy and he pulled Will's hair until the boy got up from his kneeling position on the floor. After Tobias had put the collar on the boy's neck, he decided he wanted to 'play' a bit with his new pet.  

"You're beautiful, you know?" Tobias said with an evil grin. Will looked away.

Without another word, Tobias dragged Will to the couch and threw him on it, so the boy lay on his back.

"No! No!"   Will tried to fight kicking and putting his hands in front of him to protect himself, but it was useless. Tobias took hold of Will's wrists and pinned them above his head and straddled him.

"Please! Stop! " Will shouted, cried and tried to fight, but his hands were literally tied. 

 Will never felt so afraid, even with Webber. When Tobias' body covered his, Will shuddered and cried, begging him to stop. Tobias just smiled and leaned over to bite Will's neck just above the collar, so everybody would see he had an owner. The boy let out a pained whine and squeezed his eyes shut, trying desperately to turn off his brain, just like he did before. When Will felt Tobias' hands spreading his legs the boy screamed and fought.

"P-Please, d-don't h-hurt me! P-Please!" 

 "Ssshhh, my puppy. If you behave, I will not hurt you."   Tobias lied.

He was hurting Will. Rubbing... biting. Will felt _that thing_ rubbing against his skin and it was horrible. After a while, Will stopped fighting and just lay there motionless and whimpering, feeling Tobias' breath on his neck. Everything was happening again. Hannibal had worked so hard for Will to get used to being touched, always being gentle, always stopping when Will got scared, teaching him that he didn't need to be afraid because Hannibal would never hurt him. Now it was all happening again. All the pain and all the fear was there with him, like an anvil over his chest, preventing him from breathing. Will could not breathe. Will was so terrified that the air in his lungs was gone. The fear he felt was so devastating that he was losing control over his body, not that he had any in the first place. His vision was blurred and his chest was clenching.

"Please…" Will pleaded. "I can't breath…”

“Then you better start breathing, sweetheart." He chuckled. "I won't stop 'til I’m done.”

Tobias just laughed at the panicked boy beneath him and did not stop assaulting him. Tobias didn't penetrate Will, though. He just rubbed against the body of the trembling boy until he reached his own release. The point was not hurt him, the point was humiliate him, break that kid even more, show him who was in charge.

Once Tobias had finished with Will, he made the boy get up off the couch pulling him by the hair and threw him on the floor. Will fell and lay there, feeling like he was the dirtiest thing on earth. Everything Will wanted was to crawl to a hole and die.

Will was still curled on the floor of the living room of the cabin, shaking and crying silently when Tobias threw him an apple that was not very good for eating. 

"And you better eat, this is all you're having 'til tomorrow." Tobias said with a serious expression. "Our dear friend must be arriving anytime soon, and when he arrives," Tobias smiled "I'll get him paralyzed again. And while he is motionless, I'm going to fuck you in front of his eyes, to let him know before he dies that he lost in this game." He said, leaving the living room and going to another room in the cabin.

Will didn't eat the apple. He curled even more on the floor, feeling hot tears running down his face. His future was dark. Will saw nothing but pain in front of him. Will could not survive if Hannibal came to die. Even though Will was condemned to hell, he could endure it all cheerfully as long as his beloved master was alive, even if they never met again. As long as he knew that Hannibal was alive and breathing, he could face anything.  

"Hannibal, don't come for me. Please. Stay safe." Will prayed with the same faith he prayed for his parents to come pick him up when Webber kidnapped him.

A few minutes later, Tobias came back and dragged him to the basement of the cabin, where he hurt Will more, just because he could.

****

Hannibal had to stay calm. He knew that any mistake now could cost the life of his beloved Will. The Ripper had become weak, he had let himself be overpowered by an inferior being, and he would not make that mistake again. He had to go back to what he really was; cold, heartless, and lethal.

He braced himself. That night he put his hunting clothes on, as if he was Achilles preparing for the last battle in Troy. It was a sporty black set that made his movements easier and hid him at night. While he got dressed, he remembered the terrified look of his precious Will as he was being carried away from him. Tobias could be hurting him right now and the thought made Hannibal clench his jaw. Hannibal could not let these thoughts distract him though; he had a focus, a purpose. He would bring Will back or he would die trying. He had already lost too many people in his life; he could not loose Will too.    

He knew that Tobias would try to hit him on his wound, so he was careful to make a well-made dressing. His shoulder still hurt like hell, so he had let himself enjoy the luxury of taking a dose of morphine, not enough to get him high, but if he would have another fight with Tobias he would not have the disadvantage of being in pain.  

The killer was in his bedroom, preparing the bag with the things he would need for the 'hunt of the century'. He got knives, wires, and ropes; all what would be necessary to overthrow Tobias. He straightened when his eyes landed on Winston, which was lying on the floor near the door. He walked to the stuffed animal, knelt and grabbed it. Will was so fond of that stupid dog. Hannibal sighed and fought back the tears that insisting on coming out of his eyes. He was the Ripper, he was not weak, he would not cry. And he didn't… 

 He could not tell if it was the morphine that had finally kicked in, or if it was the adrenaline mixed with despair, but Hannibal wasn't feeling pain in his shoulder anymore. But even if he felt any pain, even if his entire arm had been ripped out, it would not be reason enough to stop him. Tonight he would kill Tobias and bring Will back home. And Hannibal would spoil his little one. He would hug him tight against his chest; he would bathe him and kiss every inch of his body. If Will was hurt - God forbid it - Hannibal would take care of him, he would touch him as gently as a feather and kiss him until he had drained all the pain from him. Hannibal couldn't care about anything that wasn't having his little one back in his arms.  

And with his bag in hands he left his house, got into his car and drove toward the address written on the back of the note. Tobias had been very specific with the address, he would not run nor hide. Hannibal knew exactly where he was going. It was a forest right there in Baltimore, a place far away from prying eyes, perfect for “hunting”. There were a few isolated cabins where one could play “butcher” without being disturbed. He had already taken one of his victims there to turn them into art. He was sure Tobias would not take Will far away, he wanted to claim Hannibal's territory, and therefore he wanted to defeat Hannibal there.

Big mistake.

The trip did not take long; in fact the forest was only an hour and a half away from his house. Hannibal drove on the dirt road, paying attention to the surroundings. The moon was full and bright and it lit the way like it was his accomplice, making things easier for him.  As soon as he saw the roof of the cabin among the trees Hannibal felt something in the pit of stomach. It was not fear, it was anxiety, it was the calm before the storm. It was his body preparing to fight. He felt it every time he hunted and he saw the situation that way; another hunt, nothing more. He could not let his concern for Will blind him again. He would not fail this time.  Hannibal parked his car at a safe distance and braced himself. He got out of the car and opened the trunk and took the items he would need. He must be quick and sharp; there was no room for mistakes.  Hannibal had conflicting feelings inside him: The love for Will, the pure love that impelled him to move on; the hatred for Tobias, that gave him the strength to be as evil as could be; the confidence he had in himself and nothing, nothing would prevent him from leaving that cabin with Will in his arms.

Hannibal took a deep breath.

 _'Let's begin’_ he said to himself in the silence of that forest.

Armed with his old confidence he walked with purpose toward the house. That was the same confidence that kept him alive all these years and it would not fail now. When he realized, he was no longer walking, he was running toward the cabin, toward his fate. He reached the porch and didn't stop, he reached the door and kicked it open.   

" _I walk dressed and armed with the weapons of Saint George. My enemies have feet but they will not reach me, they have hands but they will not touch me, the eyes are blind and the bad thoughts they may have can't do me no harm. The firearms will not reach my body, knives and spears can't break my armor, ropes and chains will be broken before restrain me_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who are curious, this verse is part of the prayer of Saint George. In my country, soldiers, policemen, gangsters, everyone will face something dangerous just prays this prayer asking for protection. I found that matched the intensity of the scene.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everybody!  
> I'm so so so so so so so Sorry for the delay, but I think this chapter will make up for the wait time.  
> It is a very distressing chapter, then, ya know.  
> Don't panic, everythig is fine in the end.  
> I loved writing this chapter, I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Edited 06/07/2014

The door opened with a bang and Hannibal stepped inside with a hunting knife in hand, ready for the battle of the century. His heart was racing inside his chest, his pupils were dilated and dark, but his hands were not shaking. And while he was worried about Will, he had total control of his emotions and a mission. He would not fail.

He was not concerned with the surprise effect since Tobias knew he was coming, so he opted for a dramatic entrance. Tobias wanted to turn this into a bad opera, which the plot was _'the exiled warrior who returns to claim his rightful place'_. Hannibal would indulge such nonsense. Ah, if only he knew that Hannibal had another ending planned.

Hannibal looked around the place for a second, the lights were on and he could see everything clearly in front of him. The room he was in was a living room, simple like in any ordinary cabin in the woods, the furniture was a bit dusty, and Hannibal was not impressed. What was odd was that Tobias was not in the room waiting for him. Hannibal hoped to find him there, sitting quietly on the couch waiting for him, also in gladiator mode, ready to kill, but he was not there.

 The Ripper narrowed his eyes and looked around, ready to defend himself from any surprise attack, after all he knew how treacherous Tobias was. But the room was silent. Hannibal walked into the room treading carefully (after several years of hunting, Hannibal learned that the most dangerous predators are those who do not make noise).  

It was then that Hannibal heard a whimper coming from another room in the house. His blood froze in his veins, for he knew that voice and it broke his heart. Will, his beloved one was there, probably hurt and scared, not knowing why this man was hurting him. But Will was alive, and no matter how bad his boy was wounded, Hannibal would take care of him.

Hannibal hurried and headed toward that sound. Worried through the bone but still alert at his surroundings, Hannibal walked into a hallway witch had two doors. Quietly he approached the nearest door and stood in front of it and listened. The crying was coming from inside. Hannibal tested the doorknob and turned it. The Ripper stopped breathing for a second. He opened the door. The room was dark, but he could see that there were stairs in front of him leading to a lower level of the house. That was the basement.

Hannibal did not hesitate and started to go downstairs in the dark, carefully not to make any noise. He had experience in being stealthy, a flight of stairs in the dark was no problem for him, but suddenly Hannibal began to imagine what he would find downstairs and braced himself for the worst. There were just a few steps and soon Hannibal reached the floor. He heard the whine getting even more desperate.

Without difficulty, Hannibal found the switch and turned on the light. What he saw there made him want to scream with rage. The basement was virtually empty apart from a few cardboard boxes. Will was there, curled up on the cold floor, naked and trembling, his hands were tied with violin strings and his eyes were shut tight. The desperation on his face was something that would haunt Hannibal for the rest of his life. Hannibal never thought he would see his little boy in such a state again, but there he was.

"Will…" Hannibal said before moving toward the boy.

Hannibal knelt next to the boy and reached out to touch him, but he flinched and tried to pull away from the touch, pressing himself into the cold wall behind him.

"Will, it's me." Hannibal tried to speak, but Will was not listening, he was just shaking and crying.

Hannibal tried again and grabbed Will's arm, but the boy began to scream and kick.

"I don't want to do that again, please!" Hannibal heard Will's voice pleading desperately and he seemed to lean more against the wall - if that was possible - to try to escape from the threat.

"Will… I…" Hannibal said heartbroken.

 He remembered the day he met Will in Webber's house, how terrified he was, how he flinched when Hannibal tried to touch him, just like he was doing now. Hannibal remembered that the first time he touched Will he had to force the contact. He would hate himself for it, but he had to do the same thing now.

Without hesitation, Hannibal grabbed Will by the waist and pulled him close, placing him sitting in his lap.

"No! No! Don't touch me!" Will screamed and struggled, "Please, I can't do it!" he said trying to disentangle from Hannibal's arms.

It was like if Will was not seeing Hannibal there, but a monster, maybe Tobias.

 "Will, listen to me, I'm Hannibal. It's okay now." He said softly into his ear.

He held the boy tight and buried his face in his curls. Hannibal began to rub soothing circles on his back.

"Shhh, I'm here." He said with soothing voice.

 Hannibal dared to look down to Will's body and he couldn't hold back a tear to roll down his face. Will's body was covered with bruises, His back covered in little slashes and, dear god, belt marks. there was something disgusting and sticky on his skin and by the smell Hannibal knew what that meant. Will had been abused again. Hannibal felt a wave of hatred so big that it could have flood the whole world, hatred and guilt. He hugged Will tight, hoping that his arms could erase the memory of what had happened.

"Forgive me, my little one." Hannibal whispered to Will.

After hearing these words, the boy froze. With trembling hands, Will touched Hannibal's chest and pulled away slowly, just enough to look at his face.  

"Hannibal?" Will asked, lower than a whisper. "It's you?"

Hannibal nodded. The lower lip of the boy trembled and Hannibal could see the cut on it and that it was red and sore. Hannibal gently touched his bruised cheek and looked into his eyes. Will's blue eyes were wide and watery, but there was recognition in them, Will knew he was his master. Then Hannibal’s eyes landed on Will neck's, on the collar that had been placed on his neck and the bruises, evidences of abuse that Will had been through.

That was the biggest cruelty that someone could do to Will, put the collar on his neck, the symbol of everything that Will feared. That was the final insult. Hannibal would kill Tobias and he would have fun doing it. Hannibal looked away and swore in a foreign language. He hugged Will again and this time he did not struggled.  

"I'll take you home now."

Suddenly, all the panic that seemed to have left Will came back and the boy began to squirm, trying to get loose from Hannibal's arms.

"No, no… You have to go…" Will stammered. "He's here…"

"I'll protect you." Hannibal assured.

"No…" The boy seemed desperate, tears rolled from his eyes. "He'll hurt you…" Will cried, "You have to go!"

"I won't go home without you."

"Please!" Will sobbed, grabbing Hannibal's jacket with his tiny hands. "Go away!"

Hannibal couldn't understand why his beloved one was sending him away.

"What are you saying, Will?" Hannibal asked worried.

"I'm his puppy now." Will cried, "He claimed me." Will buried his face in Hannibal's shoulder again.

"My love..."

"He wants to kill you!" Will cried "He wants to kill you and keep me as his!"

"I won't let it happen."

"Please!" Will's hands firmly gripped Hannibal's shoulders. "Go away, I will be okay."

"No. I'm not going to leave you here."

"Wearing the collar is better than seeing you dead!" Will said, exasperated, and then he cried again "Please, go away, stay safe."

Hannibal could not believe what Will was saying; he could not let his boy to be Tobias' new fuck-toy. Will was ready to sacrificing himself so that Hannibal could live. Hannibal didn't deserve this, he didn’t deserve to have Will's love. He was a demon and Will was an angel, his angel, the angel that he had let be taken away from him and be hurt. It was not right. Hannibal's mask fell again and Will could see in his face all the despair he was feeling. Will leaned forward and kissed him, a sad kiss, tasting of tears, one last kiss before the darkness.

"I'm yours" Will whispered with his lips on Hannibal's. "He can steal anything, but my heart will always be yours."

They touched their foreheads and remained like that for a while until they heard the basement door be open.

"What a beautiful scene. I should take a picture."   The two heard a third person speaking.

Both looked forward and they saw Tobias climbing down the stairs slowly, counting the steps. Immediately, Hannibal got up from the floor and stood protectively between Tobias and Will, who was hiding behind him, desperately clutching the sleeve of his jacket. Hannibal touched Will's hand and squeezed it lightly before pulling away from the boy. He took a step toward Tobias who was now standing there in the basement looking straight into Hannibal's eyes, a knife in hand. 

 "Seriously Hannibal, I thought you would come faster. I didn’t get too bored though. I had something adorable to play with." Tobias said and nodded toward Will who shuddered.  

Hannibal did not answer to this. He just looked at Tobias with such a cold glare that it could have frozen all of hell. Instead he tightened the grip on his knife and smiled that evil smile of his, the smile of when there was no doubt he would be perfect, the smile of his most evil side, the smile of a predator who observes the prey that thinks it can have a chance, even though it's already dead.  

"Will, go to that corner and stay there. This will be messy." Hannibal said.  

Shaking, Will obeyed his master and leaned against the corner, he sat on the floor, holding his knees close to his chest. The two killers just faced each other for a moment; one could see sparks in the eyes of both men. The air was heavy. Tobias was apprehensive and though he tried to show that he was the one who had the advantage, Hannibal could smell his anxiety, and it was there where Tobias would make a mistake.   

Tobias moved first. He stepped forward, swaying his knife against Hannibal's chest, but the doctor was not drugged now and he easily dodged the blow, taking a step backwards. Tobias did it again and this time the knife tore the fabric of Hannibal's clothing, but it did not hurt him.   Tobias laughed.

It was the time for Hannibal to attack. He stepped forward and did basically the same movement that Tobias had done, trying to slash Tobias’s chest, Tobias also dodged the blow taking a step backwards, but that was what Hannibal wanted. While Tobias regained his balance, Hannibal reached down and stabbed Tobias' thigh, and Tobias hissed in pain. Hannibal walked around him and Tobias turned to him surprised, he had not expected Hannibal to be so alert.

Tobias struck again, trying to bury the knife in Hannibal's neck, but the doctor blocked the blow with his left forearm and with the other hand he made a cut on the Tobias' side, beneath his ribs and walked away again, circling his prey.   "Fuck!" Tobias said, his shirt was red with blood.   

"Watch your mouth." Hannibal pointed the knife toward the dark-skinned man. He was very surprised.

In desperation, Tobias managed to make some cuts in Hannibal's arms, but it were nothing to worry about, the worst one was a cut on his biceps that was bleeding, but he was sure Tobias's injuries were far worse. Tobias attacked again, and hit Hannibal's nose with the knife handle. Hannibal fell to the floor, blood dripping from his broken nose. Hannibal was apparently dazed and Tobias would take advantage of that. Tobias approached Hannibal and straddled his thighs, sure of his victory.

"This is very interesting, Hannibal." Tobias said with a grin, a little out of breath, but smiling "What do you think of this reversal in our little game?" Hannibal did not respond; he still looked dazed. Then Tobias turned to Will who was there, still shaking and crying on the corner.

"Watch as I kill him, puppy."

Tobias held the knife as if he were a priest performing a ritualistic sacrifice, ready to end this fight once and for all. Hannibal was defeated; the knife was in his hands.  Hannibal finally lost his patience. It was exactly what Hannibal was waiting for.

He wanted to play a bit with Tobias. He could have killed him at the first blow. A stab in the femoral artery and Tobias would bleed to death in a few minutes. He had the chance to do it, just like he had the chance to stick the knife between his ribs and hit his lungs and watch him choke on his own blood, but Hannibal wanted to play a little with Tobias first, as a cat who plays with a mouse before kill it. He would get him tired, he would give him the illusion that he could win, only to see the smile drop from his face after every blow.   He let Tobias struck, and when he did it, Hannibal grabbed his wrist and made a deep cut on it, the right angle to cut the tendons of his wrist. Tobias screamed and dropped the knife he was holding. He stood on his feet and took a few steps back.   Hannibal decided that it was time to stop playing. With one swift motion he grabbed Tobias' forearm and spun him around, so he was with his back to Hannibal. Tobias screamed in pain. With a winning smile, Hannibal stabbed his back and turned the knife inside him, lacerating his kidney. Tobias made a sound that was part whine, part howl, and part sob.  Hannibal smiled happily.

"Before you die, I want you to listen to me." Hannibal turned the knife again for good measure. "Will is mine and no one touches what is mine. You should have listened the first time I said that." He turned the knife a little more. "Nobody hurts Will, not while I keep breathing. You should have made sure that I was dead before touching him."

"Aaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!!!" Tobias screamed.

"You are an inferior creature. That's why I won before and that's why I won today. Now, before you go, you must know I’ll waste no part of you. Your liver, your spleen, your heart, they will be ingredients in delicious meals that I'll enjoy with a very expensive wine."   

Tobias started coughing blood. Hannibal took off the knife from Tobias' back and he turned him to look in his eyes. Tobias was going into shock. Hannibal laughed and loosened his grip on Tobias arm and he fell to the ground, where he convulsed a bit before he died.  Hannibal looked at Will and ran to him.

"My love!" Hannibal said.   

He hugged the boy, burying his nose in his curls, relieved that Will was now safe. Will flinched at first, but then relaxed in the arms of his beloved master and cried hard with his face buried in his chest.  Hannibal pulled back a bit and untied the boy's wrists and saw that it was cut and bleeding a little. Hannibal brought Will's wrists to his mouth and kissed his wounds. Then turned his attention to the collar on Will's neck and unbuckled it, throwing it away. Will flinched, but did not try to stop Hannibal. Quickly, the doctor stripped from his jacket and placed it on Will's shoulders to cover his nakedness and warm him up.   Again, Hannibal placed him on his lap and cradled him, rocking back and forth, just like he did on the first night.

  "Ssshhh, it's okay." Hannibal said trying to sooth Will.

He kept holding Will like that for a few minutes, until Hannibal felt that Will had gone limp in his arms, fainting because of the stress. Hannibal kissed his forehead and allowed himself to cry a little too. He almost lost the most precious thing in his life and he would never let that happen again.

Hannibal wiped his face with the sleeve of his shirt and sighed with relief, now that Will was safe in his arms.  

"Come, let's go home." He muttered.

 Hannibal lifted Will off the ground and carried him carefully out of the cabin. He gently placed the boy in the passenger seat of his car and buckled his seatbelt. Hannibal leaned over and kissed his forehead and stood there, stroking the dark curls for what seemed like hours, just watching him sleep and breathe, alive, more or less unharmed, but alive and safe. When they got home, Hannibal would cover him with kisses and affection, he would hug him and whisper soothing words to his ear until he fell asleep, safe in his arms. He would do anything to make Will forget the events of that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See now?  
> So, thanks for reading, please comment and leave your kudos. Love you all!  
> Smut in the next chapter  
> Maybe ...


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everybody!  
> Sorry for the delay, my mother had surgery and I've been taking care of her. I have not had time to write before, so I prepared a great chapter for today. (She is much better, by the way.)  
> As always, I hope you enjoy it, I enjoyed writing this chapter. So many feels:)  
> Smut in the next, for sure.  
> For those who hadn't read it yet, please, check out my new fic "Jealousy is a green-eyed monster." It's real fluffy.  
> Keep reading!!!
> 
> Edited 07/07/2014

Hannibal parked the car in his driveway and looked at Will who was in the passenger seat, still asleep. The sun was rising then. Hannibal hissed when he looked again at the bruises on Will's delicate face. The boy was so fragile, so breakable. Hannibal had already noticed that he bruised easily and took too long to recover and he couldn't help but notice how beaten his face was. Hannibal would take care of the wounds, the pain would fade, the cuts would close and bruises would lose its color as the days went by. However, he was sure Will had other injuries that would take longer to heal.

 Hannibal brushed a strand of hair from Will's forehead. The boy was still asleep, but he frowned and began to stir. Probably he should be having a nightmare with Tobias. Hannibal closed his eyes and tried to calm himself. He didn't want to think about the horrors that Will had suffered at the hands of that bastard.  Will, his poor broken boy, hurt and scared. Hadn't he suffered enough? Hadn't he gone to the hell and back? Why these bad things kept happening to him? Hannibal despised the human kind, but if there was someone in the world who shouldn't suffer, that someone was Will. That's why Hannibal didn't believe in God. How could he believe in a God who allows an innocent boy like Will to be brutalized over and over again? In fact, it seemed like there was something, some higher force, with the sole purpose of making Will's life a living hell.

His little one wouldn't suffer anymore. He would make sure of that. Looking to Will's beaten body was something that Hannibal would never want to do again. Never again would he listen to Will’s moans of pain, or see his frightened look. However, Hannibal found himself comforted to know that Tobias - at least, parts of him - were in his trunk inside a cooler. After Hannibal had settled Will in his car, he came back to the cabin and worked on Tobias' body. He took everything he wanted from the musician and then he set the cabin on fire. He would not display Tobias as one of his murders; he didn't deserve to be honored. His body was now only a useless carcass and it would burn. His freezer would be full and Hannibal would smile at every mouthful of his meal.

But that was something he would have to deal with later, Will was his priority at the moment. The doctor leaned over and gently stroked his cheek, mindful of his injuries.  "Hey, wake up." Hannibal whispered.  Will stirred and opened his eyes. His expression was confused and frightened. Will sat up on the seat, wincing in pain.

"Sshhh, it's okay, we're home. You're safe." Hannibal said sweetly.

"Where is he?" Will asked shakily, looking suspiciously to the back seat, as if Tobias was hidden there, ready to attack him.

"Don't worry, he will not hurt you anymore. Nobody will." If Hannibal could look at himself in the mirror, he would have been frightened by the darkness of his gaze. That was a promise, an oath.

Will looked away and lowered his head. Hannibal could see that Will was fighting the tears that were trying to come o his eyes. Hannibal took a deep breath and opened the driver's door and climbed out of the car. He opened the trunk and grabbed the cooler, musing that it never had been so heavy. He walked around the car, put the cooler on the floor and opened the passenger door. He reached out and Will took his hand without hesitation. Hannibal helped Will to climb out of the car and as soon as the boy stood on his feet, the doctor hugged him and kissed his forehead. Hannibal took the cooler off the ground with one hand and the other arm was placed protectively around Will's waist to help him as they walked to the door.   Once inside the house, Hannibal led Will to the couch in the living room where the boy sat down and hugged his knees. Hannibal headed to the kitchen where he put the cooler on the counter. He had taken his time cutting and cleaning Tobias' organs right there in the cabin. Anyone who might unwittingly came across the contents of the cooler would just think that Hannibal had gone to the butcher. He decided to leave the cooler right there; he would deal with that later.

 Hannibal came back to the living room and found Will the same way that had left him, holding his knees close to his chest like a child. He approached Will and lifted him gently, mindful of his injuries. Hannibal carried him up the stairs towards his bedroom. Just like on the first day, Hannibal carried him straight to the bathroom and put him sitting on the toilet while he filled the tub. Occasionally Hannibal would take a look at Will who was disturbingly quiet.  It was impossible not to remember the day one. Will had that blank look and he was hugging himself. He had been broken again. Hannibal had taken so long picking Will's pieces off the floor and putting it back together, but he was patient, he would do it again as many times as was needed to be.

Then Hannibal walked to the counter of the bathroom. He took a white box from a drawer and a box that Will knew well, the first aid kit. Hannibal approached the boy again and brushed a strand of hair from his face. Will flinched at first, but when he realized that this was only Hannibal, his beloved master, he relaxed and leaned to the touch.

 "Do you remember the first day?" Hannibal began. "You were so scared. You were hurt and in pain, but you were so brave when you let me take care of your wounds." Hannibal knelt in front of the boy and put the box on the floor. "I need you to be brave again and let me take a look at you." 

 Will looked so tired, like a puppy that had been beaten too much and was too innocent to understand why. Will took a deep breath and nodded. Hannibal gently stripped Will of the coat in which he was wrapped since the cabin, revealing his beaten naked body.  His wrists were raw because of the violin strings. The bite on his neck was purple. His body was covered in bruises as if Tobias had used Will's fragile body as a punching bag. His face, his angelic face had bruises and cuts on the lip and brow. Hannibal touched him with the utmost care, but the boy winced with every touch.

Hannibal opened the first aid kit and grabbed a cotton ball and a bottle with a clear liquid.

  "Look Will, I'll use a strong antiseptic to clean your wounds. It may sting a little, but I need you to be brave and let me do it. We don't want you to get sick."

Will looked at the cotton ball and nodded.  The most disturbing wounds were on Will's wrists and Hannibal decided to start there. He held Will's hand and began to clean his wrist gently, listening to his whimpers, but the boy did not try to pull his arm and he let Hannibal do what was necessary, he knew he just wanted to help. Hannibal did the same thing with the other wrist and every open wound he could find. Will behaved very well, even when Hannibal cleaned the bite on his neck.

 "That's my boy." Hannibal praised when he was done. "After the bath, I'll wrap your wrists in bandages."   

Then, his eyes had landed on that whitish sticky stuff on the boy's skin. Hannibal didn't want it, but he had to ask.

 "Will, honey. I know it's hard for you, but you need to tell me what that man did to you." He said seriously and Will looked at him with a confused look. Hannibal sighed. "Are there any other wound I'm not seeing? In a private place, maybe?"   Will shivered.  "Did he hurt you as the 'Bad Man' did?" Hannibal asked trying to make Will understand and it seemed to work, because the boy began to cry.

"He touched me…" Will began. "First, he just rubbed against me, but then…" Will sobbed, "he made me use my mouth to… then he touched me down there, but did not hurt me, not like that. He said he would wait for you to come, because he would ... he would do it in front of you…" Will cried hard and Hannibal hugged him. "Sorry." Will muttered.  

"Sshhh, It's not your fault." Hannibal said, feeling his throat and eyes burn. "That's it? He didn’t…”   

Will shook his head vehemently.   "No." Will sniffed. "But he would."

"Don't think about it anymore, you're safe now." Hannibal kissed his forehead then knelt. "It's me who have to apologize, Will. I should have protected you. It's my fault." Hannibal felt his eyes burn and when he noticed, a river of tears ran down his eyes. "I should have taken care of you as I promised I would, and I failed. And now you're hurt. I was so afraid I would lose you, if I had, I would rather die."

To Hannibal's surprise, Will wrapped his arms around his neck and kissed him hungrily. Hannibal gently wrapped his arms around Will's waist, bringing him as close as possible.

"I love you so much…" Hannibal said with his lips on Will's.

"I love you too." Will replied and Hannibal could taste the salt of his tears.

Hannibal buried his face on Will's neck.

 "You would have sent me away and chosen to stay with Tobias just to save my life. No one ever sacrificed himself or herself for me like you did. I am a monster, a demon, I don't deserve your love." 

 Will pulled away a little, just enough to look to Hannibal's face.

"No, you're not bad." Will said incredibly serious. "You came back for me." 

 "Oh, Will." Hannibal hugged him tight. "You're so innocent. I hope you don't hate me when you find out the truth, about who I really am. "

"I could never hate you. I love you."

Hannibal held his chin and kissed him gently.

"My little one…" Hannibal said with a smile.   

Hannibal kissed Will again and stood up. The tub was full and the water at the right temperature. He reached out to Will and helped him to stand up and step into the tub. Hannibal stripped off his clothes and stepped into the tub along with Will. They were facing each other and Will noticed the bandage on Hannibal's shoulder. With a trembling hand, Will reached out and touched the wound very carefully.

"Does It hurt?" Will asked, frowning.

"A little." Hannibal confessed, because the effect of the morphine had gone some time ago.

Will leaned forward and kissed the bandage. Hannibal gasped because he had not expecting that.

  "What you're doing, babe?"

"I'm kissing it better."

Will looked into Hannibal's eyes and the doctor felt his eyes burn with new tears. Will was in much worse condition than him, yet it was he who was comforting Hannibal. The doctor hugged him again and smiled.

 "I feel much better now, thank you Will."

Turning his attention to those who really needed to be taken care of, Hannibal grabbed a washcloth and soaked it in liquid soap. Hannibal lovingly rubbed Will's skin, his whole body, from the nose to the toe, cleaning every inch of that pale soft skin. Will relaxed so much that he nodded off a few times, but Hannibal held him firmly, so Will wasn't afraid that he would fall asleep and drown in the bathtub.    Hannibal wasn't sure how long he spent caressing Will's body, kissing his shoulders, curling his fingers in his hair. He only realized they had been in there for too long when he noticed Will's lips trembling, only then he realized that the water has gone cold.

Hannibal stepped out of the tub and dried his skin with a towel before he showed up dressed in his robe. He pulled Will from the water and wrapped him in a fluffy towel and carried him to the bedroom. Hannibal laid him on the bed and began to dry his skin gently. Hannibal turned away for a moment and headed to the bathroom. He came back a few minutes later with the bandages and salve to apply on Will's wounds. With bound wrists, Will looked like a suicidal that had tried unsuccessfully to cut his wrists. Hannibal also had put a bandage over the bite on the neck of the boy. Unfortunately the scars on Will's body would remain, but Hannibal would do anything to erase the scars of his heart .

 "There." Hannibal smiled after he finished.  Will was still lying in bed and Hannibal leaned over and started kissing his neck gently.

The boy gasped and tensed a little.  "What you're doing?" Will asked panting.

 "Now it's my turn to kiss you better." Hannibal said and Will smiled. Cause when Hannibal touched him, there was nothing to fear.


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everybody!!  
> Thank you for all the comments about my mom. She is doing fine and she is sending a hug to all of you. : )
> 
> Finally some sex. It's my first time writing a whole scene so please be gentle with me.  
> I hope you like it.  
> Next chapter may be the last, but stay with me. : )
> 
> Edited 07/07/2014

Hannibal unwrapped Will of his towel, slowly exposing his pale skin. Will was lying on his back in the bed, Hannibal was kneeling between his legs, where he had a perfect view of the boy sprawled in front of him. Hannibal was stunned every time he had Will exposed like that, and every time he was blinded by such beauty. He maintained eye contact the whole time, paying attention to the boy’s every reaction, if he should stop or whether he should keep going. Will winced when Hannibal gently touched his sides, but didn’t shove him away.

Hannibal was impressed. Will was so strong in his own way. He imagined how awful it must have been for him to stay at Tobias’ mercy, a man who was threatening him and hurting him. The fear he must have felt. But Will was accepting his touch again, and he was sure if he were anyone else, they would be terrified and begging for Hannibal to stay away.

But Will _was_ terrified. Surely he would have nightmares about Tobias. It would take time for Will to forget the way Tobias had pinned him on that couch and used his body to his release, the way he had hurt him. Will had learned to be touched without feeling disgusted with himself and the person who touched him, but only because that person was Hannibal. Then Tobias came and everything felt like before, when the‘Bad Man’ used him like a fucking toy. Yes, he was terrified, but the one who was touching him now was not Tobias, nor the ‘Bad Man’. It was Hannibal, and he felt safe in his arms.

The doctor leaned over and covered Will’s body with his. He kissed his lips gently, and Will moaned and kissed him back, a little more reluctant than usual, but Hannibal understood the boy. After all, he had gone through terrible things; it was perfectly understandable that he was scared.

Then Hannibal began to kiss his cheek, his jaw line, his neck, stopping just where the bandage was covering Tobias' bite. He felt Will holding his breath. Hannibal kissed the bandage gently and Will let out a small whimper.

"You're so beautiful."

Hannibal whispered and continued to leave a trail of kisses down his shoulder and chest. Will began to twitch.

"Your skin is so soft. It's like running my hand on silk." Hannibal said before kissing his bruised chest, making the boy hiss in pain.

Hannibal kept kissing Will’s chest and then he found his nipple. The blond man licked Will’s nipple for a while before sucking it, making it hard and wet with his mouth. Hannibal played with Will's nipple using the tip of his tongue. The boy beneath him moaned and squirmed.

"…Hannibal" Will moaned and Hannibal stopped what he was doing to look at Will.

"You're okay?" Hannibal asked worried. Will took a deep breath and simply nodded.

Will was flushed and panting. Hannibal smiled fondly before giving the same attention to the other nipple, just to hear more moaning from the boy. So, he went all the way down to Will’s abdomen, kissing every bruise he could find.

This was not just about sex; it was about comforting. Will needed to feel comfortable with Hannibal touching him again, he needed to reestablish this connection the two were trying to build since that night when Will had kissed him for the first time, after that nightmare, when Will had felt at ease to have that kind of intimacy with Hannibal. The doctor knew that it was very difficult for him and for all the things he had been through, so he would do it as gently as possible.

Hannibal touched Will's hips and kissed the bruises there, five on each side, where Tobias had grabbed his hips to keep him still while he abused him. Will couldn't help but flinch.

"I'm sorry, Will." Hannibal gently kissed one of the bruises.

Will just sighed shakily. Will was so fragile, Hannibal knew that if he wanted to have some intimacy with the boy again, he would have to be ten times more gentle than before. Hannibal looked down and saw Will's cock. It was half hard.

"I think we better stop." Hannibal sighed, his hands still caressed Will's hips.

"No… please, I…" Will stammered "I want you to touch me."

"Are you sure?" Hannibal said. He didn’t want to force anything that Will wasn’t ready to endure.

Will took a deep breath and nodded. Without another word Hannibal, touched his thighs and pulled them apart a little more. He was positioned between Will’s legs and wrapped his hand around his cock.

"Aaahhh…" Will shouted with the first twist of Hannibal's hand. He was tense; Hannibal could feel it.

"Sshhh, it's okay." Hannibal leaned over and kissed his trembling lips, but didn’t stop stroking him up and down, very slowly.

"Hanni…" Will muttered and winced.

Hannibal kept whispering reassuring words to Will’s ear until the boy had calmed down. When Hannibal looked down again, Will's cock was fully hard.

"We don’t have to do anything else, you know? I can wait."

"But… I want." Will said suddenly.

"What?" Hannibal backed away just a little.

"I…" Will hesitated. "I want you. You don’t want me?" Will's eyes were pleading and new tears began to fall from his eyes. "That's because he touched me? But, I swear... he didn’t…"

"It’s not that. You're not ready for this." Hannibal said seriously.

"I don’t know when I'll ever be…" Will confessed and looked away "But… I want to try, because it is different with you. With you I don’t feel afraid, then, it will not be a _Bad Thing_. Right? "

Will's eyes were a mixture of feelings. Hannibal could see that Will was scared, but he could also see how Will wanted to be touched by him. This wasn’t about lust and desire; it was Will’s desperate attempt to confirm that he belonged to Hannibal, and Hannibal alone. He needed Hannibal to mark him again as his owner, but now in a more intimate way. Hannibal felt his heart ache. Will needed it. Will knew he was loved, but he needed to _feel_ that the only person he ever loved, loved him.

"All right." Hannibal nodded.

Everything that happened after that seemed as if it were in a dream…

The blond man kissed Will’s lips lightly before getting up from the bed. The boy watched as Hannibal walked to the nightstand on the right side of the bed. He saw Hannibal open the second drawer of the nightstand and grab a small bottle. Hannibal walked back to the bed and placed the bottle next to Will. He let the robe he was wearing to slip from his shoulders and land on the floor, revealing his body.

Will swallowed dry when he saw his naked master. He had seen Hannibal in that state of undress before, but he was always impressed with the sight. Hannibal was so physically strong if compared to Will's thin frame. Will felt a little intimidated at first, since he knew that Hannibal could seriously hurt him if he so wished. Actually, Hannibal could have taken Will the same way as the Bad Man and the other monsters had done since day one when Will was too weak to defend himself. He could still do that; Will was still weak and small. But Hannibal wouldn't do that; he loved him.

"Will?" Will heard Hannibal’s voice and only then he realized his mind had wandered off.

"Yes?" He replied.

Hannibal looked at him and smiled kindly. The doctor then knelt on the bed, positioning himself between Will’s legs. He placed a hand on Will’s thigh, urging him to open his legs even more.

"I'll stretch you gently, don’t worry." Hannibal said leaning over and reaching for the bottle.

Will looked at him with a question in his eyes. Realizing the confusion of the boy, Hannibal explained.

"I have to prepare you, otherwise this experience could be very uncomfortable for you."

Preparation? This was new to Will. What would he do?

The boy watched the blond man open the bottle and coated his fingers with the liquid.

"If you want me to stop, just say so."

Will nodded. His heart was beating so fast in his chest. He tried to put the instinctive fear aside because he was with Hannibal and he would never hurt him, but Will was about to give himself to him, in a way that he never have done before.

The first thing he felt was Hannibal's finger gently touching the most intimate part of his body. Will tried not to flinch, but he did, and Hannibal leaned over and gently kissed his neck to distract him from what was happening. His breathing was uneven and his heart was pounding in his chest.

"Relax." Hannibal whispered.

Will groaned and closed his eyes, trying to do what he was told, only when the boy's breathing slowed a little Hannibal did tried again.

"Aaaahhh!" Will shouted when he felt Hannibal’s finger inside him. It hurt. Not just his body, the memories brought pain as well. He remembered all the times he was forced to do things that a child should never do just to stay alive. He remembered the pain, his screams, the laugh of the men, the fear, all the times he begged them to stop. Will whimpered.

"It's okay, just relax. I will not hurt you. " Hannibal assured him, kissing his tears away.

But Hannibal wasn’t one of them. He was being gentle. Hannibal loved him. Will took a deep breath and tried to relax the best he could.

Hannibal worked him with his fingers, and after a while his whimpers had became quiet hiccups. Will realized with surprise that it did not hurt anymore. It felt weird, but did not hurt anymore, and Hannibal was whispering in his ear that he was doing well and nibbling his neck to distract him from the pain. Hannibal then pulled away and grabbed the bottle of lube again. Will could not look away as Hannibal coated his cock with the lube.

The two had already played with their hands before, but now, the size of Hannibal’s cock was making him feel a little terrified, to say the least. Will was lying on his back on the mattress and Hannibal was kneeling between his legs. Hannibal had one hand placed on Will’s hip holding him in place and his other hand guiding his cock to Will's entrance.

"Wait!" Will said, placing a hand on Hannibal's hand to stop him. "Wait."

"What’s wrong, my love?" Hannibal asked frowning.

For a moment Will thought that Hannibal would be angry because he was refusing him, but the doctor had a calm expression.

"Go slow, please." Will asked shakily.

"Of course."

Hannibal brushed a strand of hair of Will's face and his hand returned to Will's hips. Will closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Relax."

As promised, Hannibal slowly slid the head of his cock inside Will. The boy gasped and then Hannibal was leaning over him, kissing him. Hannibal had prepared the boy carefully, but he seemed to be in pain. Tears poured from Will’s eyes, the legs of the boy trembled around Hannibal.

"Aaahhh!"

"Sshhh…" Hannibal said placing light kisses on his cheek. "It's okay, you're doing so well, my little one."

"Hanni…" Will sobbed. "It hurts!"

"My love…" He whispered in his ear while he gently slid the rest of his length inside Will, letting the boy adjust to the intrusion. "Relax. I will only move when you're ready. "

He wiped the tears of Will's face and didn't move while the boy fought to relax. After a while, Will looked at Hannibal and nodded, giving his permission for the man on top of him to move. When he did, it was slow and gentle, rocking his hips back and forth. Hannibal held Will in his arms, hugging him.

"My love…" Hannibal said again, "Do you know why I love you?" Will forgot the pain and suddenly everything he could care about was Hannibal’s voice being whispered to his ear. "Your eyes are like the sea, so blue and deep that sometimes I'm afraid I'll drown in them."

Will groaned and gripped Hannibal's shoulders.

"Your skin is like silk, the finest silk; so soft and so pale. Young and smooth, although it’s been marked too many times. It's warm and responsive when I touch it." He wrapped his fingers around Will's cock again and began to stroke it while thrusting inside him ever so slowly.

"Aaahhh… Hannibal!" Will gasped.

"See?"

Will was feeling good, so good. He had never felt like that before. He moaned and writhed beneath Hannibal, the pain had been forgotten, the pleasure he felt was something he could not put into words, all he could do was let himself consumed by the fire that burned him.

"Your lips…” Hannibal gasped "Soft and sweet, red like strawberries." Hannibal captured his lips in a demanding kiss. Will melted like sugar. "No, they are even sweeter."

Then Hannibal hit a spot inside Will that almost made him scream.

"Hannibal… WHAT?"

He didn’t know what was going on with him; no one had ever done that. He did not know whether to laugh or cry.

"You're so innocent." Hannibal increased the speed of the hand that stroked Will's cock and moved his hips just a little faster, always hitting that spot. Will did not complain. "My little one. My chosen one. You are mine and I am yours. "

Will felt his release bubbling inside him. He was so close.

"Can you feel it?" Hannibal asked and Will nodded. "Just let it happen."

"Hanni…" Will moaned.

Hannibal leaned over and bit his neck and the mixture of pain and pleasure was too much for him. Will came with a cry, spreading his release over his belly. Hannibal soon followed, his muscles tensing and then relaxing. Hannibal continued to kiss Will, every exposed skin he could find.

"My love…" Will gasped. His legs were shaking and he was still coming down from heaven.

Hannibal kissed his forehead and gently pulled his cock out of the boy. He lay down and pulled Will closer, hugging him. Will hugged him back, burying his face in his neck.

"How do you feel?" Hannibal asked quietly.

"I don’t know." Will replied weakly. "It was good."

Hannibal smiled.

"Yes, it was."

Will closed his eyes, tiredness making his eyes heavy and his head dizzy. He was smiling. If Will was realizing he was smiling he would have been amazed. Usually he would be under the bed right now, curled into a ball, crying his eyes out. But there was a difference. Hannibal did not fuck him; he had made love to him.

"I love you, master." Will mumbled right before falling asleep.

"I love you too, my little one." Hannibal said hugging Will tight in his arms. "Sleep well."

Hannibal grabbed the blanket that was on his side and covered them both. His own eyes were heavy and he would fall asleep soon. The room was silent except for Will’s breathing and his own, but he could hear a sound. More than listening, he felt inside his chest. It was there.

**_Da dum. Da dum. Da dum._ **

His heart. A heart that he didn’t had before he met this sleeping boy in his arms. But this heart was never his to begin with. He had given his heart to Will from the very first moment.


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everybody!  
> Well, i think i won't be abe to finish this fic never, everybody give me such good ideas to keep working, so i'll stick around a little more.  
> One more character shows up, two actually.  
> I hope you enjoy this chapter!  
> Keep reading!
> 
> Edited 11/07/2014

Of course, their relationship grew stronger after that. Now Hannibal was sure that Will trusted him and Will was sure that Hannibal would never hurt him.

There was a profound bond between them, and that was why Hannibal could feel the distress of his little one. Will seemed fine in the morning. He would smile, he would play with his stuffed animals, he would even try to read the books that Hannibal had bought for him, but it was at night that Hannibal could see the extent of Will’s trauma. The nightmares were coming back, worse than before. Will would wake up screaming, kicking and fighting a foe that wasn’t there. Too often, Hannibal had to wrestle with Will on the bed for him to stop him from struggle.

It was easy for the doctor to comfort him, though. He just had to hug him and whisper soothing words in his ear and Will would calm down and go back to sleep. Hannibal knew that Will was traumatized and it would take time for him to recover, but he would be there to help Will every step of the way. He had enough love and patience.

If Hannibal was protective before Will’s kidnapping, now he looked like an alpha wolf protecting his pack. Will was never out of his sight, even indoors. If Will would leave the room and take more than five minutes to get back, Hannibal would begin to get restless and stop what he was doing to look for the dark-haired boy. But Will did not complain. He did not seem to like being alone either. Needless to say, the boy didn’t sleep in his own bedroom, even though he still spent the afternoons there, playing with Winston. When the evening came, it was in Hannibal’s bed that he would sleep, cuddled in the arms of his beloved master.

But Hannibal had to work. And even if it broke his heart to do so, the Doctor would have to leave him alone for a few hours during the day.

He thought about what he could do. He could hire a caregiver, but he did not trust anyone to take care of Will, besides, the boy didn’t feel comfortable around strangers. He thought about bringing Will to his office and leave him playing in a corner while he talked to his patients, but he dismissed the idea as soon as it came. He didn’t want anyone looking at a disturbed way at his boy. He still had pieces of Luke in his freezer to remind him of what his patients were capable of and he didn’t want to take any chances.

Then he came to a conclusion. He had a plan. His plan would be split into two parts and if everything went well, Will would be safe and Hannibal wouldn’t have to worry so much.

****

That was a nice afternoon and Will was studying in his bedroom. Since Will returned home, he noticed that the more he tried to learn to read and write, the less he would think about the bad things that happened to him. His brain was filled with words and numbers and emptied of fear and darkness. It was still hard for him to understand some words, but Hannibal was helping him and soon he could read a book without having to stop to ask the meaning of words. Hannibal smiled and encouraged him when he was teaching him and that was why Will didn't want to disappoint him.

Will was sitting at his desk on his bedroom; there was an open book in front of him and a notebook, where Will was practicing his writing. Hannibal sat beside him, watching. Will's handwriting was terrible, but Hannibal had to agree that he was improving.

"Now, I want you to copy this paragraph." Hannibal said pointing to the book. "Can you do that for me?"

Will looked at the book. It was a long paragraph, almost an entire page, but he could not let Hannibal down. He could do this. Will looked at his master and nodded.

"Good," Hannibal smiled.

In that moment, they both heard the doorbell ring. Will jumped startled and dropped the pencil that was in his hand. He looked at Hannibal with wide eyes and he older man just wanted to hug the boy who had no idea how cute he was like that.

"It's okay, Will. It's just something that I ordered." Hannibal assured him stroking his hair. The doctor stood up of the chair he had occupied and kissed the boy on the forehead. Will could still feel his heart racing and pounding in his chest. "Stay here and practice your handwriting."

Hannibal ruffled Will's hair before heading to the door of the bedroom, leaving the boy alone. Will bent down and picked up the pencil that had fallen on the floor to resume his lesson, but he felt uneasy when his master wasn’t around, therefore it was difficult to concentrate on his work.

After Tobias had injured Hannibal in his own house, one of Will’s biggest fears - and source of his recent nightmares - was that someone would come to the house and kill him. Every time the doorbell rang, Will thought it was a monster that had come to take his beloved master from him. When Will voiced his concern, Hannibal just smiled fondly and explained that if someone wanted to kill him, they would not knock on the front door.

 _"No, he's fine. I can hear his voice from here, he's fine_." He thought. Will bit his lip and turned his attention to the notebook, repressing the urge to go downstairs and see with his own eyes if Hannibal was okay.

Will had already copied some lines of the book when he realized that a few minutes had passed and Hannibal had not returned yet. Again, he started getting restless and to fidget in his seat. It was then that Will heard Hannibal calling him.

"Will, can you come to the living room?" Hannibal said quietly and Will felt himself relaxing a bit.

The boy rose from his chair and left the bedroom. He went downstairs but he didn’t run because Hannibal had said it was rude to run indoors. Holding the railing, Will went down the stairs to the lower floor, and when he was halfway on the steps he heard a bark. Will froze in place.

"He's beautiful, isn’t he?" Will heard a female voice saying. His heart began to pound in his chest.

"Yes, he is. William will love him." He heard Hannibal say.

A smile found its place in Will’s face when he ran down the rest of the steps, not bothering to care if he was being rude. When he entered the living room, Will saw that Hannibal was there, smiling. Beside him stood a girl that Will didn’t know but who also smiled at Will. She was beautiful. She should have been the same age as Will. She had brown hair tied in a high ponytail. She had big, bright blue eyes and a warm smile, but Will's attention was drawn to her hands. The girl had a leash in her hands and there - in the living room - was the most beautiful dog that Will had ever seen. Will wanted to reach out and touch the dog, but he was still aloof with strangers and the girl, even though she seemed friendly, she was a stranger nonetheless.

"Will, say hello to Abigail." Hannibal said approaching Will. He placed a comforting hand on his lower back and brought him closer to the girl.

"Hello Abigail." Will said looking away from the girl to look at the dog that seemed more interested in licking his paw.

"Hello Will." She said cheerfully. "Your Dad told me a lot about you."

Will frowned and looked at Hannibal without understanding what was happening. Hannibal did not like being called _Daddy_. Didn’t she know that? But Hannibal looked at him and blinked, and Will realized that he was faking, as they had talked about a few days ago.

"Abigail works in an animal shelter and I thought you would like to meet her; and her friend, of course."

"What's his name?" Will asked shyly at the girl.

"His name is _Brutus_." She smiled. "Would you like to pet him?"

"Can I?" Will asked Hannibal with pleading eyes.

"Of course." Hannibal smiled.

Will dropped to his knees and reached out to touch the fur of the dog. He was huge. He had a black cape that began in his head, went down his back and ended at the tip of his tail. His muzzle and chest were white and his legs were reddish brown. He was beautiful. He had his tongue out of his mouth and looked curiously at Will.

The boy petted the dog's head. Brutus seemed calm and happy with being caressed.

"I think he likes you." Abigail said.

"Do you like him?" Hannibal said laying a hand on the boy's shoulder, Will was so enamored with the dog that he had not even realized that his master had approached him.

"He... he is beautiful." Will said softly. "Hey doggy..." Will said leaning and hugging the dog.

"He is an adult _Bernesse Mountain Dog_ …” Abigail said. "He has a very docile temperament." Brutus then turned his head and licked Will's face, just to confirm what the girl said. "As I said to your dad, he has been trained and you will have no problem with him."

Again Will turned to look at Hannibal with a confused look. Hannibal simply smiled.

"He is yours, Will."

Will gasped in disbelief. He looked at the dog again. Hannibal had given him a dog, a real dog. The boy then burst into tears. Brutus, noticing the boy’s tears, approached and licked Will's cheek, trying to soothe him.

"Will?" Hannibal said kneeling beside the boy, worried about Will’s reaction to the gift.

"Thank you!" Will said and wrapped his arms around Hannibal neck. "Thank you! Thank you!” Will cried.

"You're welcome." Hannibal said, hugging him back.

“I love you so much!”

"I love you too."

They stood there holding each other for a moment until Brutus barked and nudged Will's arm with its snout.

Will hugged the dog again.

"Will, do you want me to teach you how to play with Brutus?" Abigail said to Will, but her eyes were fixed on Hannibal, who nodded for her to continue. "He obeys commands, you know? _Sit, roll over, stop_ and…stuff. "

“You can play in the backyard.” Hannibal offered.

Will smiled and wiped his face with the sleeve of his shirt. Will stood up and Abigail offered Will the leash to hold, but the boy refused shaking his head.

"Can you take it off him?" Will asked seriously.

Again, she glanced furtively at Hannibal to ask for permission and he nodded.

"Sure."

Abigail bent over and unfastened the piece of leather of the dog's neck. Will smiled again and he, Abigail and Brutus went out to the backyard, where they began to play with the dog. Hannibal didn't join the game, though. He kept watching, leaning on the doorframe with a smile. Will was happy; he loved seeing his little one happy.

It was hard to find the perfect dog. He had looked on breeders’websites to find the dog that would fit the profile he wanted. He wanted a dog that was docile with children, but that could also work as a watchdog. He wanted the dog to have been trained and one that could obey commands, his commands.

He had found Brutus in an animal shelter. The Bernesse was big and flashy, but a docile dog. He was rescued when the police had broken in a drug dealer’s house. The dog had been trained to kill at the command of the owner. But since the dealer had kids, the dog had also been trained to protect the children.

And that was obvious it was something Will didn’t have to know.

He told Abigail that Will was kind of special, and that the dog needed to be trained, cause it would be used both in the boy’s therapy and to protect him. But he would not expose Will to a violent dog before he had taken the appropriate action. For a few days, Hannibal brought Will’s clothes to Brutus, so the dog would get used to the boy’s scent. Well, it worked. Hannibal could now rest assured, knowing that Brutus would protect his precious treasure.

Now, there was the second part of his plan. It would be hard for him to do what was necessary, and Will would probably be scared at first, but that was something that had to be done. Hopefully Will would understand that Hannibal would do this for his own good.

 

 <<<< BRUTUS

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh no Hanni, what are you going to do???  
> Any bet?
> 
> Tell me on the comments!


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everybody!  
> Really, i don't know how this will end anymore! : )  
> Here's the second part of Hanni's plan.  
> I'm sorry for the delay. I hope you like it!  
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Edited 11/07/2014

It had been three days since Hannibal had brought Brutus to be Will’s protector, and the e dog had proven itself to be very efficient. The dog was very careful with the boy when the two were playing in the backyard and – despite his name - it was never brute, even when he bit Will’s legs while they were playing, it was playful and harmless, just something to get the boy’s attention. Brutus played with Will as if the boy was his younger brother, and the two kept chasing each other and rolling in the grass.

Hannibal smiled fondly when he heard the happy sounds. The playful squeals of the boy, and his happy face were enough for him to clean the footprints that these two oversized puppies left in his kitchen without complaining. Every time they took Brutus to take a walk in the street, he had the instinct to protect Will and it was clear he wouldn't let anyone approach him. He barked and growled, warning them to stay away. The only person he allowed to get close to Will was Hannibal because he meant no danger to the boy. Hannibal was pleased to know that he had made the right choice.

Brutus had liked Will since the beginning. Even Will being bigger than the other human pups he had seen before, it didn’t change the fact that Will was a _pup_. Brutus looked at Will and the tall man beside him and could notice the difference between the two, how the dark-haired pup was small and fragile compared to the other who was tall and had light hair. Brutus felt the urge to lick the pup’s face to show him he was friendly, after all this was his _pack_.

Brutus still could remember his old pack. He could remember that his human Alpha was violent and that he was severely mistreated there. He did not like his Alpha, but he obeyed him for fear of being punished. Brutus could remember that he was angry all the time and he didn’t know why. Those were hard times, but then something happened and he had been brought to this shelter where he had been treated well until the tall man find him.

While Brutus saw Will as a pup, he saw Hannibal as the leader of his new pack, his _Alpha_. He knew he must respect and obey him. And why wouldn’t he? In this house he had good food, he had a shelter, the pup played with him and the tall man didn’t hurt him like his previous owner. In fact, Hannibal always had treats to give to him and he just put the leash on his neck when he took him to take a walk on the street, so, he could say that he liked him.

He had a pack now, a good one.

****

Hannibal was in the kitchen washing the dishes of the lunch when he noticed that the house was too quiet. Well, Will was a quiet boy, but since Brutus had arrived the house seemed alive with laughing and barking everywhere all the time and Hannibal found it odd that he couldn’t hear either one. Not that he was worried that Will would venture in some mischief, Will was too well behaved for that, but Hannibal always had this impression that something would happen to the boy while he was out of his sight. Intrigued, Hannibal dried his hands on a dishcloth and headed to the living room where he expected to find the boy.

Hannibal smiled fondly when he saw that the boy was sitting on the couch reading a book - this time, he was reading _'The Curious Case of Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde'_ \- and it looked as if he was really enjoying the story because he was reading the book with an awed expression. He didn’t even blink, he seemed totally hooked by the story of the doctor and his mysterious friend. Brutus was lying on the floor sleeping peacefully beside the couch, his head resting on his paws. From day one, Hannibal had told Will that the dog could stay inside the house, but the couch and Will’s bed were off limits. He was pleased to see that Will was following the rules.

"Will?" Hannibal said from the doorway. Will lifted his head, looked at Hannibal and smiled.

"Yes?"

"What do you think about the book?" Hannibal approached and sat next to Will on the couch.

"It's very good." Will said with his boyish smile. "Jekyll is very lonely, I’m sorry for him. But I don’t like Hyde, he is mean."

"It’s just a story, you know that, right?"

Will nodded.

"Good," Hannibal said ruffling Will's hair. The boy leaned over and rested his head on Hannibal’s shoulder.

Hannibal put an arm around Will and brought him closer. Hannibal buried his nose on Will’s curly hair and inhaled deeply. Hannibal noticed Will’s shampoo that he had used that morning, grass from the backyard, Brutus and his very own aftershave. It was new that Will wasn’t stinking of sweat and fear, and it was very good, actually wonderful that Will was recovering so well from the recent trauma. He wanted to see Will blossoming, living happily and with no fear.

However, Hannibal knew that if he wanted this to happen, he would have to put into practice the second part of his plan and he still did not know how Will would react to that. He hoped that Will would realize that Hannibal was doing this for his own good, it was not his intention to hurt him on purpose. The process would be emotionally draining for the boy. Hannibal sighed. He had been avoiding this for too long.

"We could read together." Will said offering the book to the blond man.

"I'd love to." Hannibal kissed Will’s forehead. "But I’m afraid there is something more important that we must discuss now, my little one.

Will raised his head and looked at Hannibal with that curious look he always had.

"What is it?" Will asked intrigued.

"Go to your bedroom and change your clothes for me. Put that pair of blue sweatpants and a loose shirt. Take Brutus with you and lock him in your bedroom, then come back here so we can talk. Okay?"

Will looked at Hannibal for a moment. That was quite odd. Why Hannibal wanted Will to change his clothes? The clothes he was wearing were clean. But Will knew that his master had a sensitive nose, so he just thought he should be stinking, but only Hannibal should be noticing that.

"All right." He said finally.

Will stood up from the couch and kissed Hannibal’s cheek

"Let’s go Brutus!" Will called the dog that immediately woke up with a yawn. The dog stood up stretching his legs and followed the boy upstairs.

Will had taken a while to find the blue sweatpants that Hannibal wanted him to wear, but soon he found it in his closet. Will liked these pants because they were very comfortable. The put on a shirt that was white and loose. He had no idea why Hannibal wanted him to put those clothes, specifically, but the clothes were soft and smelled good, so Will didn’t think anything about it.

"You stay here." Will told Brutus when the dog wanted to follow him out of the room. "Hannibal wants to talk to me, it must be a secret."

Brutus approached the boy licked his hand.

"I know you do not like to stay away from me, but I'll be down the stairs, and I think it will not take long."

Brutus barked frustrated.

Will just smiled and petted his head before leaving the bedroom and closing the door, locking the dog inside.

While Will was coming down the stairs he heard a strange sound coming from the living room. When he arrived at the living room, he saw that Hannibal had moved the furniture close to the walls, creating an open space in the middle of the living room. Hannibal had also changed his clothes and was wearing a black sweatpants and a black cotton shirt. Will still did not understand the reason of all this. Hannibal was sitting on the couch, thinking.

"Will." Hannibal said noticing the presence of the boy. "Sit here with me." Hannibal said patting the couch.

Will walked over to the couch and sat next to his master. Hannibal held the boy's hand.

"You know I love you, don’t you?" Hannibal said with a serious tone. Will nodded. "You know I care about you, about your safety."

"You protect me." Will smiled.

"Yes, I do. But…" Hannibal took a deep breath " You need to learn how to protect yourself, Will. "

“What do you mean?" Will asked confused. "You… You will leave me?" Will began to pout.

"No, no. Never. "Hannibal looked at the boy. "Will, you know how the world is dangerous. The monsters are on the loose and you need to be prepared in case someone wants to hurt you and I'm not around to help you out." Hannibal sighed, because now he would poke a recent wound. "Do you remember Tobias?" Hannibal felt the boy's body get tense "Maybe if I had taught you before how to defend yourself, he wouldn’t had taken you. I'll teach you _self-defense_ , at least some techniques. I'll teach you how to be in the control of the situation. Self-defense is not about hurting others, but to prevent others of hurting you."

"But I'm small…”

"Self defense is precision. The right blow in the right place. No matter what your size is, if you're precise, you will be perfect. "

Hannibal held Will's hand and squeezed it reassuringly. Then he stood up and urged Will to do the same. Hand in hand they walked to the center of the living room where there was space for the two to move.

"First of all, I want you to know that it’s not my intention to hurt you. All I want to do is teach you how to use your arms and legs to defend yourself, so no one else will hurt you like Tobias, Luke or the Bad Man" He saw Will shudder to hear the names of his tormentors. "Basically, I'll recreate a dangerous situation in which you will have to be able to escape. None of this is real, it's just an act, I will not hurt you and if you start panicking we can stop. Do you trust-"

"Yes" Will said interrupting him. "I trust you." Will said, and he had no hesitation in his eyes and his voice wasn’t shaky. He trusted Hannibal, blindly. "I am small, I am weak, and everybody takes advantage of me. I don’t want to feel like that ever again. "

Hannibal let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He was relieved. Will did understand the importance of it. Hannibal was afraid that Will wouldn’t want to be touched so roughly, but he understood that he had to learn self-defense, it was for his own good after all.

"You surprise me every day." Hannibal said.

The two stood facing each other and Hannibal put his hands on Will's neck, as if he were strangling him, without applying any force though. Will had an apprehensive look but did not flinched.

"Remember that I will not hurt you. Well, I'm trying to strangle you. Try to escape. "

Will grabbed Hannibal’s wrists and tried to take those hands of his neck, but Hannibal tightened his grip in Will's neck. Will kept trying, and no matter how hard he tried, Hannibal would not budge. Will tried not to panic, but he had already seen this scene so many times before. Suddenly the man before him was not Hannibal; he was Webber. Will started to pant, he could not breathe with those hands around his neck. Hannibal wasn’t putting enough strength to cut his breathing nor even to make bruises, but Will was panicking.

"I… can’t…" He choked. "Hanni…"

"Will, calm down, focus on my voice." Hannibal said with firm voice and Will saw his beloved master in front of him again, bringing safety, keeping him in the reality. "Now, to escape, you must lift your right arm and try to hit the attacker's forearm with your elbow with all your strength, it will distract him. And then you must take a step back to put some distance between you, then try to hit his nose with the palm of your hand, it'll break his nose, and if you're lucky, knock him out. Let’s try it?"

Will still seemed a little scared but he nodded. As Hannibal had explained, the boy raised his arm and tried to hit Hannibal’s forearm with all his strength, but Hannibal would not budge.

"Come on Will, I know you can do it."

Will took a deep breath and tried again. He hit Hannibal’s forearm, took a step back in time, but he hesitated to punch the nose of his master. Hannibal loosened his hands completely and looked at Will with a frown.

"Why did you stop?" Hannibal asked confused and Will looked away.

"I can not hurt my master." Will said lowering his head.

"Hey, Will." Hannibal said. He held Will’s chin and lifted his head so he would say it looking into his eyes with a stern expression. "Never ever hesitate. Hesitation can be the difference between life and death." Will had never seen him so serious. Then Hannibal expression softened and he smiled. "Let's try again, and this time, do not hesitate."

Will nodded and the two continued with the self-defense lessons. After Will had overcame the initial shock, he became more comfortable, Hannibal had the patience to explain the movements and Will was dedicated to learn everything and, in the end, he ended up finding it all very fun


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everybody!  
> So... I'm sorry for the delay, I really didn't mean to take so long, but I was writting another fics and - to tell the truth - I'm still traumatized by the season finale. ToT *tears*  
> Actually, I'm traumatized with the whole season.  
> But... I think we need more fluffy moments between these two, so I'm still fighting for them, - Who's with me?.  
> Good.  
> Well, for those who wanted Alana to return to the story, you gonna like this chapter, but it's not a Hannibloom, they had been together in the past, but they won't have a slip. Hanni is loyal to Will.  
> Well, let's read!
> 
> Btw, Please read my fics "I'm not a burden!" and "A touch of Love"
> 
> Edited 11/07/2014

Will was in the living room, sitting on the couch, with Winston in his arms and Brutus lying next to his feet. Will frowned and stirred uncomfortably on the couch, feeling something like butterflies in his stomach. He was nervous. Will didn't like the idea of Hannibal inviting a stranger to his house; he didn't like it at all.

Will looked down at his clothes. Those were really nice clothes. He was wearing dark trousers, a white button up shirt and a blue sweater. That afternoon, Hannibal had picked the clothes for him and he had said that they would have a guest for dinner and Will would look good in those clothes. The boy had been taken by surprise and he looked at Hannibal with fearful eyes.

"It will be only one guest, Will. It's Alana, you know her. She is my friend, so there is no reason for you to be afraid." Hannibal told him with a reassuring tone while trying to soothe the distraught boy.

Will had seen Alana Bloom just once, that day in the Mall. He still didn't like to be with strangers and he always felt uneasy whenever someone came to the house. That was a trauma that would be hard to get over after what Tobias had done. But Will was getting more social with every passing day. Abigail showed up frequently to teach Brutus a new trick or just to talk to Will. They exchanged a few words, Will smiled at something funny that she had said, but he would never let her touch him and they always kept a friendly distance. Hannibal could risk saying that Abigail was the closest that Will had to a friend.

But Hannibal still believed that Will had to interact with more people, that's why he had invited Alana for dinner. Hannibal had not thrown a party since Will had showed up in his life a few months ago, not even a simple dinner, and he pondered which of his friends he could trust enough to expose Will. Alana was a close friend, she was polite, inoffensive and Will knew her - more or less - so the decision had not been difficult to make.

The boy took a deep breath and tried to push this bad feeling aside. Will trusted his master with all his heart and soul, so if he was saying that Alana was nice and that it was safe for them to have her for dinner, then Will would trust Hannibal and behave like the good boy he was.

He could hear Hannibal working in the kitchen and somehow it was comforting to know that Hannibal was so close. He could hear the sound of pans being maneuvered from the counter to the stove and vice versa, and the aroma that was coming from the kitchen was very good indeed. He wanted to be in the kitchen with Hannibal, helping him cook like they had been doing for the last few weeks, but his master had told him to wait in the living room like a good boy, so he would not get his nice clothes all dirty with sauce. Will had obeyed Hannibal, but not before giving him his best puppy dog eyes. His Master just smiled and kissed his temple before turning back to the stove.

Will had been waiting there for what felt like hours - actually it had been just a few minutes - when the doorbell rang, snapping him out of his reverie.

"Can you open the door for me, Will?" Hannibal's voice came from the kitchen. "I'm taking the roasted deer from the oven."

Will felt a wave of dread. He definitely was not prepared for this. His plan was to avoid the guest at all costs until she had left, and now Hannibal wanted him to open the door? The doorbell rang again and Will stood up from the couch, feeling the first signs of panic. Brutus rose from its place near the sofa. The dog came over and nudged Will's hand with his wet snout, noticing the distress of the boy and trying to soothe him. Will just wanted to run to his bedroom and hide under the bed but Hannibal would not like that and he didn't want to displease his beloved master. He took another deep breath. Hannibal had said that Alana was nice and there was no reason to be afraid. Mustering all the courage he had – and still holding Winston tight to his chest - Will walked to the door, followed closely by the dog.

He turned the doorknob with trembling fingers and gently pulled the door open. Will saw a woman standing on the porch, the same woman with long brown hair and blue eyes he had seen at the Mall some weeks ago. She was wearing a black coat and a green scarf around her neck. It was very cold outside and Will winced when he felt the cold wind hitting his face. Will glanced at her briefly. She was beautiful; she looked like a fairy from a book that Hannibal had read to him and suddenly Will no longer felt so scared. The fact that she smiled warmly at him helped a lot.

As usual, Will read Alana in just a second and he saw that she wasn't a threat, not like Tobias. The boy let out a breath he did not know he was holding, relieved that she would not hurt him or Hannibal, but he didn't met her eyes.

"Hello, Will." Alana said, and her voice was soft.

"Hi." Will said shyly.

"I’m Alana. Do you remember me?" She said and Will nodded. "Can I come in?"

Will had hesitated for a moment, but he opened the door completely so Alana could step inside. But before she could move, Brutus barked at her as if he was giving her a warning and she took a step back.

"Wow," she smiled, but Will could tell that the dog had frightened her.

"It's okay, Brutus." Will said patting the head of the giant dog. "Sorry." Will told her with a soft voice. "He doesn’t like strangers."

"He is just doing his job." She said smiling.“Brutus, right? He’s a beautiful dog.”

Brutus seemed to glare at her before returning to the warmth of the house. Alana stepped inside and Will closed the door behind him. He followed her to the living room and only then he noticed that she had two paper bags in her hands.

"Where is Hannibal?" She asked, noticing the absence of the host. Will just pointed toward the kitchen, and they heard the sound of clinking silverware, just to confirm what he had said. Alana smiled and walked towards Will.

"I brought something for you, Will." She said and offered him one of the paper bags.

Will hesitated for a second. Hannibal had told him that he should not accept gifts from strangers, but if she was Hannibal's friend, probably it was okay to accept a gift from her.

"Thank you." Will said, taking the bag in his hands.

"You're welcome." She replied.

She placed the other bag on a sideboard and began to remove her coat and scarf, revealing that she was wearing a dark blue long-sleeved dress. While Alana walked away to hang her coat in the coat closet in the foyer- totally at ease in Hannibal's house as if she belonged there - Will stared at the bag in his hands. After Hannibal, Alana had been the first person to give him a gift. His heart was filled with warmth. Carefully, he fished the gift from inside the bag. It was a book.

‘ _Wow, a book!_ ’ he thought. He loved to read! The book had a hardcover and it was very thick. There was a drawing of a dog on its cover and Will was fascinated.

" _'The Call of the Wild’_ , by Jack London." Will heard Alana's voice approaching again and he lifted his head to look at her. "Hannibal said that you like books and dogs, so I brought a _book_ about a _dog_."

Will smiled. He pushed his glasses up on his nose and looked away shyly.

"Thank you." He said again, hugging the book. He would read it later with Hannibal.

The two sat on the couch, Alana kept a respectful distance from Will and even though he was still admiring his gift, he could tell that Alana had her eyes fixed on him.

"Who is this?" Alana asked, pointing to the stuffed animal still in Will's arms.

"This is Winston." Will said shyly. "He is a Labrador."

"He's cute." She smiled. "I bet you three play a lot."

"He can not play with Brutus. Hanni said Brutus might hurt Winston."

"Maybe the next time I come, I can bring a friend for him. Would you like that?

Will's face lit up and he nodded.

"You seem more at ease with my presence. I remember the first time I saw you; you looked pretty scared." She said suddenly.

Will swallowed and lowered his head.

"Sorry."

"No, it's okay. What I meant is that I'm glad you're opening up." She smiled. "I'm sure that Hannibal is very proud of you."

Will smiled at it, he liked when Hannibal was proud of him.

"You like him very much, don’t you?" Alana said and Will nodded.

"He is my _Mas..._ " Will paused, remembering his promise to keep the secret of _what_ they were "... my _friend_."

"I would also like to be your friend, Will. But only if you want it, of course." She said with a smile.

Will looked again at the book carefully cradled in his arms. Well, Alana had not given him any reason to dislike her so far. She was beautiful and kind and she had given him a book about dogs. The boy smiled and nodded. That was the only answer he could give her and it seemed to please Alana, who smiled at him and leaned back on the couch.

They were silent for a while, and then they heard Hannibal's footsteps coming to the living room. The psychiatrist was wearing a three-piece suit in a color that seemed deep red, but darker. Will mused that the color of Hannibal's suit looked very much like the color of his eyes, it was matching, just like the blue sweater he was wearing to match his blue eyes.

"Alana." Hannibal said smiling. He approached and greeted her kissing her cheek. "I'm sorry for leaving you waiting, I was finishing making dinner."

"Will was keeping me company. He is a very sweet boy. "

"Yes, he is."

"She gave me a gift, Hanni, look." Will said cheerfully to the blond man, showing him the book.

Hannibal approached the boy and glanced at the book in his hands.

"That was very thoughtful of her, wasn’t it?"

"Will you read it to me before bedtime?" Will said hopefully with that childish way he had.

"Of course I will." Hannibal ruffled Will's hair fondly. "Now go to your room and put the book on the bookshelf. The dinner will be served as soon as you come down."

Will nodded and smiled at Alana again before heading to the stairs.

"I brought something for you too." Alana said reaching for the second bag that was still on the sideboard. She handed it to Hannibal who accepted it with a smile.

Hannibal opened the bag and fished a bottle of wine. It wasn't so expensive, but it was of a good brand.

"Thank you, Alana, you didn't have to bother." Hannibal thanked her with a warm smile.

"It's my pleasure. Besides, it's only fair that I should offer you a drink once you're offering the food." She said with a playful smile.

She looked over her shoulder toward the stairs, trying to make sure that Will was not around before she started to speak.

"I'm impressed with his progress." She said in a low voice. "After everything he had been through, he seems to be reacting well to whatever treatment you are ministering. He is lucky to have you."

Hannibal had become serious for a second before putting his mask back in place.

After Alana had met them in the mall, she had called Hannibal to learn more details about Will. Hannibal had made up a story where Will was the only child of a friend who had died tragically and that it had been a traumatic experience for the boy. Since Hannibal was his godfather and the boy had no family nearby, it fell to Hannibal to take care of Will. It wasn't really an adoption because Will had already come of age, but since Will had some psychological issues and could not take care of himself, Hannibal had been pointed as his legal guardian. Of course, the only thing that was more or less true in this plot was Will's psychological condition - Hannibal had realized right away that Will was autistic and that years of trauma and torture had only worsened his condition - but the rest had fitted perfectly well in this plot. Will had new fake documents and nobody who would come looking for the boy who had been kidnapped ten years ago. However, his love and devotion for the boy were true and no one could deny that.

"Will is very intelligent." Hannibal said walking over to the sideboard, placing the bottle of wine carefully on it. "All I did was to treat him as such." Hannibal smiled fondly. "But the thing is… I’ve never saw him just as a patient. He is more, He is..."

"Like a _son_?" Alana said and Hannibal turned around to look at her.

Hannibal didn't see Will as his son, he never did, but it was better to let Alana thinking that it was true than saying that they were lovers, she would not understand, so he nodded.

"I admit that this is a bit unethical, the doctor being so emotionally involved with the patient, but I wouldn't trust anyone else." Hannibal smirked. "Not even you." That was true.

Alana giggled.

"I never thought you had this fatherly side on you. I never thought you would ever want a family and be so good at parenting."

"Will is the only exception. He needs me." That was another truth.

"And you need him." Alana said. "I've never seen you looking so happy as you were when Will was close to you." She sighed. "When I saw you two at the Mall, I had my doubts if this would work, but now, I think Will was the best thing that had ever happened to you."

"Will has changed my life." Hannibal said, and oddly enough, he was being sincere. "I can’t imagine the rest of my life without Will being here with me."

"I'm happy for you." Alana said approaching the blond man. "Everyone needs a family." Her tone was strange. "I still think that we could have had a family."

"Alana..." Hannibal said with a sigh, because he knew where this conversation was heading.

"I know, it happened a long time ago, I was a silly young girl with a crush on my handsome European teacher."

"I'm flattered by the ‘ _handsome_ ’, but you weren’t silly." Hannibal said playfully.

"I'm glad that what we had ended the way it did because now we are friends. But ... You don't think about what could have happened if we had, I don't know, persisted?"

"Of course I do." Hannibal said, and for a while Alana's eyes shone with hope. "And the more I think about it, the more I'm convinced it wouldn't have worked." Her smile dropped from her face. "Back then, we both wanted different things, and the decision to break up had been mutual. You know as well as I do that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results."

It was not the first time that Alana had came back with this subject since the two had broke up a few years ago. Hannibal really liked Alana, he found she was very attractive, strong she had a sharp mind and she was very polite. The problem was that he didn't feel a connection with her, not like he felt with Will. That relationship would never have worked, but sometimes he had to tell her that.

"You'd never gave me false hopes." She gave him a sad smile. She sighed. "But what I said before is totally true, I'm happy for you and Will."

"Thank you." He said truthfully.

She approached the psychiatrist and hugged him. Hannibal hugged her back, and the two stood like that for a while. That was another one of those ' _I-can-not-have-you-but-can-I-have-a-hug?_ ' type of hug Alana requested from time to time.

Hannibal hadn’t the heart to deny it to her, he never had.

****

Will placed his new book on the bookshelf of his bedroom carefully. He wanted to read it right now. He was getting good at it and he barely needed to ask for Hannibal's help, but Will preferred when his master read to him, like in the beginning when Will couldn't read. There was something soothing in his voice that made Will relax and dream about the story that was being told. Hannibal liked to play with the curls of Will's hair as he read, there was so much care and love in that gesture that Will felt he could spend the rest of his life like that.

Some time later, Will went downstairs to the living room and found Hannibal and Alana chatting happily. He felt his heart fill with warmth. There was something so right in that image, and Will felt silly for being afraid of Alana at first. Will could see that she liked Hannibal and that there was a great friendship between the two. Will liked Alana and he really hoped she could come more often.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE.  
> IF YOU LIKED THIS CHAPTER, PLEASE TELL ME ON THE COMMENTS.  
> KUDOS ARE WELCOME AS WELL. : )


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter ended up being more PWP than I was expecting  
> I don't know how did it happened. Sorry.  
> But I guess it's okay, i mean, this fic has 29 chapters so far and this is the second sex scene of this fic, so i think PWP does not apply to this fic. Besides, I know you all have been waiting for a little bit of smut. Hahaha  
> Anyway, Will feels more confident to be more 'adventurous' on bed (armchair, that is)  
> Hahaha.  
> I hope you enjoy, and please, comment if you like.
> 
> Edited 19/07/2014

Hannibal was in his office, on the first floor of his house. He was sitting at his desk in a comfortable chair. Classical music was playing in the background and the sunlight was coming through the window, making the atmosphere look calm and comfortable.

He had his tablet in his hands, he was rereading the notes he had made about his latest patient's condition - a lady with suicidal tendencies - as he waited for the next one, which should arrive in half an hour. Unfortunately, the patient who had scheduled an appointment at three o'clock had called that morning to reschedule the appointment to next Friday, and Hannibal now had a whole hour to do nothing.

" _Rude._ " Hannibal thought in annoyance. He had a 24-hour cancellation and rescheduling policy and all of his patients knew that, precisely to prevent things like that from happening. Well, he could climb the stairs and head to Will's bedroom just to see if everything were okay, if he needed anything, maybe he would steal a few kisses from his precious boy. But if he did so, he would end up losing track of time - it always happened when he had the dark-haired boy in his arms - and then, the _rude one_ in this picture would be Hannibal for having let his next patient waiting and it just would not do. Hannibal sighed and turned his attention to his tablet.

A few minutes later, the psychiatrist heard someone knocking on the door.

" _Hanni?_ " Will's voice was low and hesitant on the other side of the door.

"Come in, Will." Hannibal replied with a smile. Lately, Will had started to call him _Hanni_ and the doctor found himself very fond of the nickname.

The blond man heard Will turning the knob and pushing the door open. Hannibal looked up to see Will walking into the office, wearing dark jeans and a blue flannel shirt. His hair was disheveled, as if the boy had just awakened from a nap and he rubbed his eyes sleepily. Hannibal had to accept, his little one was _so_ cute.

"Is everything okay?" Hannibal asked curiously, placing his tablet gently on the table.

Will nodded and kept walking towards Hannibal. The doctor's eyes followed the boy as he walked around the table to get to where Hannibal was. Hannibal spun on his swivel chair and glanced intriguingly at Will who was now standing in front of him. The boy had his head lowered and seemed to be making an effort not to meet the eyes of his beloved. Wordlessly, Will sat on Hannibal's lap and wrapped his arms around the doctor's neck. The doctor wrapped his arms around the boy's waist and the two kept holding each other like that for a while. Hannibal sighed and leaned back in his chair, Will's head was resting on his shoulder. The doctor rubbed circles on Will's back. Will sighed happily with the affection of his beloved. Hannibal buried his face in Will's hair and inhaled that intoxicating scent that was all Will.

Hannibal was already getting used to such displays of affection. For someone who had suffered all those kinds of violence, the boy was very fond of hugs and cuddles. That was a sign that Will was recovering from his trauma and it was very good. As the days went by, Hannibal had also noticed that the boy was starting to initiate the contact between them. Little things like standing on his tiptoes to kiss Hannibal's lips without warning, or leaning against Hannibal when he read to him on the couch, and now he was sitting on Hannibal's lap willingly. That might seem like a simple thing, but it was a big step for the boy.

A few minutes later, Will lifted his head but did not look at Hannibal. He looked away as he usually did when he was nervous about something. Hannibal could also smell the anxiety coming of Will and that was weird. He looked so calm a few minutes ago, what could possibly be disturbing the boy?

"What's the matter, Will?" Hannibal asked intrigued, noticing how Will looked away shyly.

"I wanted to ask something." Will replied hesitantly. Hannibal encouraged him with a smile.

"Well… it's that... I..." Will frowned and looked at Hannibal. "I want to try something."

The boy seemed to be fighting an internal battle. He bit his lower lip worried, as if he was searching for the right words to say.

"I wanted to..." Will began, his voice low, " _I want to be on top tonight._ " Will blurted out, his voice was so low it was almost inaudible.

"What? I didn’t hear you. Can you repeat that, please?"

"I want to be on top when we..." Will trailed off and looked at Hannibal with a look that said _'Come on, you know what I mean'_. Poor Will, struggling to find the words.

"Oh…" Hannibal raised his eyebrows and smiled. "Well, it has been a long time since I was the _Bottom_ , but we'll find a way." He smiled.

"No, that's not what I want." Will whined frustrated. He bit his lower lip again, struggling to find the words that could explain what he wanted. "I wanted to do the same thing we have been doing so far, but I want to be _on top_."

Hannibal looked confused for a second, and then everything made sense.

"Oh, you want to ride me."

Will nodded vehemently and blushed, looking away. Will's innocence was so cute at times like this. Hannibal considered him as a virgin, because everything Will knew about sex (That is, the good stuff) was learned from Hannibal. Somehow, Will was indeed inexperienced - because rape doesn't count as experience. Hannibal was the one who was teaching Will the art of lovemaking and even then, they had only tried one single position: Will lying on his back on the mattress with Hannibal on top of him. It was easier that way. Hannibal wished they could, you know, _innovate_ a little, but he wouldn't do anything that Will didn't want to do or wasn't ready to do. They were walking at Will's pace and Hannibal would not rush anything.

"Are you sure?" Hannibal asked seriously. "It will be a totally different thing."

"I want to try." Will said blushing.

"Of course, my love. Whatever you want." Hannibal said with a smile. Will smiled back and leaned in to kiss his beloved Hannibal.

Since their relationship went from platonic to physical, there were some things that Will was willing to do - like touching; cuddling; kissing and so on since it was gentle - and some things that should never be suggested - such as Will on all fours; oral sex; anything that might cause air restriction and anything that might cause pain. Everything he did with Will had to be gentle and slowly, as if the boy was made of glass. So if Will was saying that he wanted to try something new, Hannibal was willing to oblige, even if it was something simple like changing positions.

****

 _"Aahhh... Hanni..."_ Will moaned.

"You're doing fine, my love." Hannibal said kissing Will, who was lying panting on the bed.

Will was lying on the bed with his legs spread, Hannibal had three of his fingers deep inside the boy, making him moan and writhe in those sheets. He had spent the last half hour stretching and preparing him thoroughly, making sure the boy was loose and relaxed for what he wanted to do.

Hannibal's fingers curled inside him and hit the right spot that made Will whine and moan. Will was like a musical instrument, a violin, which should be touched gently and ably to compose the most beautiful sounds.

"Hanni..." Will muttered, his lips still pressed against Hannibal’s.

"You think you're ready?" Hannibal asked, turning his attention to nibble Will's neck and collarbone.

The boy nodded and gulped. "Yes!" he said and gasped as Hannibal’s fingers brushed that spot again.

Hannibal kissed Will's lips again and pulled away from him. He stood up from the bed and Will sat on the bed to look at Hannibal's body: naked, sweaty and strong, in all its glory. The blond man walked over to the armchair in the corner of the bedroom and sat down, staring at Will. Hannibal had taken with him the bottle of lube he had used to prepare Will, and now, he coated his cock with that clear liquid, stroking his member, slowly, savoring the moment.

Then, the blond man looked at Will and the boy could see all the lust in his eyes.

"Come here." Hannibal said softly.

Will stood up from the bed on shaky legs and suddenly everything seemed too real. Would he really do that?

He wanted to give more of himself to Hannibal, but Will was still too scared because of all the things that had been done to him. The intimacy between them was something that the two were working out together. If not for all the patience that Hannibal had, Will would still be that scared little thing, afraid of any kind of touch. Hannibal was teaching him that he could feel pleasure, that there was a big difference between making love and being fucked. What they were doing was love; there was no other word for it. So Will was willing to face and overcome his fears.

The boy took a deep breath and walked to the armchair where Hannibal was waiting for him. Will straddled Hannibal's hips somewhat awkwardly - it was the first time he was doing such a thing - and the two were facing each other. Hannibal did not penetrated Will right away. He felt that Will was nervous, so he took a few minutes to kiss Will's neck to make him relax again.

"I'll guide you, okay? Relax."

Will placed his hands on Hannibal's shoulders and closed his eyes, bracing himself. Slowly and gently, Hannibal grabbed the boy's hips and guided him down, until his cock was touching Will's entrance.

"No! Wait!" Will shouted, the boy was shaking in Hannibal's arms.

Hannibal was not surprised by his reaction. Every time elicited the same reaction. Will always hesitated when things were about to happen.

"Take a deep breath, calm down, it's okay. You want to stop?" Hannibal said, comforting as usual.

"No… I just... wait a second, please." Will begged.

"Tell me when you're ready."

Will breathed deeply a few times and then nodded, giving his permission. Again, Hannibal gripped Will's hips and guided him, and Will felt Hannibal's cock sliding inside him, filling him like he had never done before.

"Aaahh" Will shouted.

"Sshhh, relax."

The feeling was completely different. He had been properly stretched and Hannibal had used a lot of lube, but it hurt a little and he felt as if Hannibal was reaching places inside that were not possible with the previous position. Gravity was doing its magic. He could not tell if it was good or bad, he just knew it was overwhelming.

The boy went all the way down until he was sitting on Hannibal's lap. Tears rolled down the cheeks of the boy. The blond man cupped his face and kissed him gently.

"Move." Hannibal whispered.

"I can't..." Will whined, hiding his face in the blond man's shoulder.

"Yes, you can." Hannibal encouraged him. "We'll do this slowly, we don’t want you to get hurt."

"You promise you wouldn’t…" Will hiccupped.

"I promise." Hannibal interrupted him. "You're in control."

Hannibal knew that Will needed it. He needed to feel that he was in control, at least once. He needed to know that he could seek his own pleasure and he didn't have to feel disgusted or embarrassed by it, and it would all be for nothing if Hannibal simply began to thrust mercilessly into him, scaring and hurting the boy. Hannibal was not worried about his own relief; it was all about Will.

Will sniffed and shifted slightly, trying to get used to the intrusion of Hannibal cock in his body. Then, the boy rocked his hips once, tentatively. The two moaned in unison. Will felt a wave of pleasure he had never felt before and that was scary somehow.

"Yes, keep moving, my love." Hannibal said.

"Help me, Hanni... I can’t... it's... too much..."

Hannibal gripped Will's hips a little bit - just a little bit - tighter and helped him move, rocking his hips ever so gently. Will threw back his head and moaned loudly. Taking the opportunity, Hannibal devoured Will's neck. Kissing, licking, biting, claiming that skin belonged to him.

"Hanni... I love you so much." Will stammered, dizzy with pleasure.

"My love..."

They kept doing that, and after a while, Hannibal let go of Will's hips, because the boy had found his pace and his hips rocked of their own volition. Hannibal's hands, however, were running down the boy's back, his waist, his chest, and his thighs, exploring that trembling body. The blond man's kissed Will lips eagerly as his hands closed around his leaking cock and began stroking it, up and down, matching the movements Will's hips.

"Hanni... I'm close." Will said resting his head on Hannibal’s shoulder again.

"Don’t hold back." Hannibal told Will with his deep voice.

Just a few more strokes of Hannibal’s hands and Will was spilling his seed on their bellies with a cry. The sound that Will made and the way he shook with pleasure was enough to send Hannibal to the edge and he also came.

Will was panting and trembling. Hannibal brushed his damp curls from his sweaty forehead and planted sweet kisses on his warm skin. Will was exhausted but satiated when he rested his head on Hannibal's chest, listening to his heartbeat.

"See? There was nothing to be afraid of. "Hannibal whispered.

"Yeah." Will replied sleepily. "I think I was silly."

"No. You were not silly. If you have any questions or doubts, if something is bothering you, do not hesitate to tell me. I am here for you and always will be."

"I know." Will replied. "You are so patient with me, so caring. I'm so lucky to have you." Will said running his fingers through the chest of his beloved master.

"Then I think we're both lucky." Hannibal kissed Will’s forehead again. "You are the sweetest boy I know." Hannibal smiled. "And you're all mine."

"All yours…" Will nodded sleepily, blinking slowly. His eyelids were so heavy…

Will was already asleep when Hannibal lifted him and carried him to the bed. The doctor laid him on the bed and wiped that white mess with a damp washcloth before covering the boy with soft blankets. The nights were getting cold now that the winter was coming. After cleaning himself, Hannibal also climbed into bed and snuggled under the covers with Will, pulling him close and cuddling with him.

"Good night, my love." Hannibal said before he fell sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE, COMMENT IF YOU LIKE IT !!!  
> Thinks went back to angst on next chapter. I'm just warning you.  
> : (


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everybody!  
> Sorry for the delay in posting a new chapter, but it was being beta'd.  
> To make up for the totally PWP that was the previous chapter, in this chapter we'll have plot, a new character coming in history, angst (as i have promissed) and a sort of a cliffhanger. Not so much, but you get it when you read it  
> And Brutus being Brutus, of couse. I know, we all love Brutus.  
> I hope you enjoy! 
> 
> PS - I wonder if there is anybody out there interested in making an fanart for this fic. I would do it myself, but God only gave me the gift of writing, not of drawing, unfortunately. I think that even kindergarten students can draw better than me. hahahaha.  
> So, dear reader of my heart, if you have the talent, the time and the good heart to do so, please send it to my email ( nat.jrrt@gmail.com ) I will post your art along with this fic (with due credit to the artist, of course). I will love you forever and name my first born (or my next cat, what comes first) after you!
> 
> So let's read!

Hannibal woke up the next morning from a pleasant night’s sleep. The doctor was lying on his back in his large bed, and even before he had the chance to open his eyes, Hannibal felt something heavy on his chest. Sleepily, the blond man opened his eyes and blinked a few times before he saw Will sleeping peacefully beside him. Will's head was resting on Hannibal's chest and one of the boy's arms was wrapped around his middle.

He couldn't help but smile and kiss the boy's temple.

Carefully, not to wake the sleeping boy, Hannibal slipped out of bed. Will did not wake up, but shivered, missing the warmth that Hannibal's body provided in that cold morning. The doctor pulled the blankets over Will's shoulders and covered the still naked body, keeping him warm. Silently, he put on his underwear and his silk robe and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Hannibal went downstairs and walked straight to the kitchen to start breakfast. When the doctor stepped into the most sacred room of his house and switched the lights on, he found Brutus near the backdoor -which was actually in the kitchen- waiting to be released so he could do his business in the backyard. Hannibal petted the dog's big head and opened the door so Brutus could leave. Then, Hannibal took the box of dog food from the cabinet and put a considerable amount of it in the plastic bowl on the corner of the kitchen and refilled the bowl of water. The dog would be hungry and thirsty when he returned from the backyard.

After that, he filled a kettle with water and put it to boil. He looked outside through the window and let his mind wander for a moment.

He could remember the night before and how confident and at ease Will was during their lovemaking. Of course it had required a good dose of trust on Will's part. If the boy hadn't trusted his lover the way he did, he would have never had the courage to put his fears aside and take the control of something that until recently had terrified him. Hannibal chuckled. There were a lot of things he had to teach Will about making love. It was just to his luck, he thought, that Will was very eager to learn.

In a way, it made Hannibal feel somewhat... _special_. He was the one making all those changes in Will's life. It was Hannibal who had taken the shattered boy and put all the pieces back in the right place. It was both a good feeling and an alarming one at the same time. Usually, Hannibal felt good in causing pain to people, but after Will had come to his life, it felt better to help the others. Suddenly, he no longer felt so eager to kill as he felt before he met the boy; even his hunger seemed to have been placated somehow.

Will was changing him.

Maybe Hannibal was getting too old for all the killing and maybe, just maybe, it was finally the time to settle down.

The sound of the whistle of the kettle took him from his reverie. Hannibal sighed. He needed coffee, that's it, a big cup of coffee. Hannibal was getting too sentimental for his liking.

Brutus went back inside a few minutes later. Hannibal felt the huge dog rubbing against his leg before seeing the dog trotting happily towards his bowl and start eating the food that Hannibal had put for him.

While Hannibal was busy making the breakfast, he heard a loud noise coming from outside the house, followed by a low growl coming from Brutus. After switching off the stove, Hannibal placed the pan with the omelet on the counter so it wouldn't burn. He took a knife from the drawer and headed to the living room, towards the window next to the front door because the sound seemed to be coming from there. He was still cautious, however. The whole ordeal of Tobias breaking in to his house was still vivid in his mind and he would not take any chances if someone was trying to enter the house to hurt Will. Stealthily, Hannibal approached the window and leaned against the wall to stay out of sight if there was someone watching the movement inside the house. He pulled back the curtain slightly to take a peek outside and Hannibal saw him. _Kurt_.

Kurt - at least that was the name that his neighbors used when referring to the hobo who wandered on that neighborhood from time to time - was rummaging through his garbage. _Again_. That was not the first time that man has been seen doing such things in Hannibal's neighborhood. The hobo had blond hair, he was young - not much older than Will - and he was not very tall. He was always wearing the same leather jacket and Hannibal could smell a mixture of tobacco, wet dog, lack of deodorant, old boots, and a lot of things that made that a characteristic smell; a very unpleasant smell at that.

But Kurt had never bothered Hannibal directly, nor anyone that he knew. Of course he had heard reports of his neighbors saying that the young man rummaged through their garbage looking for anything he could eat or sell - 'To buy you know what.' they would say - and sometimes, they found him sleeping on their porches after a rainy night. The most generous would offer him some food or money if Kurt could cut the lawn or do any other handwork.

The fact is: Kurt never hurt anyone and never got into trouble with anyone in the neighborhood. He was just someone who had no luck in life. He was a miserable creature, but a harmless one.

Then, Hannibal heard Brutus growling closer. He looked down and saw that the dog was beside him, growling at the window. The doctor raised an eyebrow, visibly impressed. Brutus was really a good watchdog.

Hannibal looked through the window again and saw that Kurt was walking away from his property, apparently satisfied - or not - with what he found in his garbage. Hannibal watched as the young man walked down the street, toward another person’s house.

The Ripper loosened his hold on his knife and sighed. The hobo was not a threat.

Brutus kept growling beside him, baring his fangs.

"Stop it, Brutus. He's gone."

Brutus looked at Hannibal and tilted his head to the side, apparently confused.

“What do you think of taking Will out of that bed?”Hannibal asked the dog

At hearing Will's name, Brutus barked excitedly and ran towards the stairs, wagging his tail and skidding on the wood floor. Hannibal smothered a smirk. How Brutus managed to be a murderous snarling beast on a second and a clumsy puppy on the next was still a mystery to Hannibal.

****

Some days had passed and the sudden appearance of Kurt on his neighborhood slipped out of Hannibal's mind. The doctor had no reason to linger on this subject, so he forgot about Kurt, just like when we forget a bad advertisement.

And then, the routine in Hannibal’s home followed undisturbed:

Hannibal and Will would wake up early in the morning, then they would eat breakfast; They would go for a walk and take Brutus with them; Hannibal would kiss Will passionately before sending him to his bedroom upstairs with Brutus while Hannibal attended to his patients downstairs; They would have lunch together, and then Will would study until Hannibal had no more patients for the day. Sometimes Alana would come over for dinner, and she always would bring a gift for Will. Sometimes it was Abigail who would come.

Will was having therapy sessions with Hannibal twice a week to learn how to deal with his fears. It was a bit unethical on Hannibal's part to be his lover's therapist, but Hannibal just knew that Will would not open up to anyone else.

At night, in bed, things could not get any better. Will was more confident and at ease with every passing day. Their touching, their trust in one another, it was perfect. Will loved him and wanted to show him. And Hannibal couldn't be more proud of his precious boy.

Life was good. Everything was fine. It seemed like the two lovers were in a bubble of happiness and contentment and that nothing, absolutely nothing, would destroy it. There was no reason to believe that something bad could happen.

****

Will was standing in the middle of the living room. The furniture had been moved and pushed toward the walls. His hands were trembling slightly in anticipation. The house was quiet; the boy couldn't hear anything other than the sound of his own breathing. He felt like he was alone in that big house, but at the same time, Will could feel _his_ eyes on him, peering, calculating, and waiting for the best moment to strike. Will could not see him, but he knew he was there.

That was the worst part, being left in the dark, being caught off guard, vulnerable. But Will knew that was his strategy, he was the predator and the prey was Will. That made him remember all the times he felt like a prey. It was as familiar feeling and it was so... painful.

Will closed his eyes, trying to put the uneasy feeling aside. He had to calm down; he had to be ready.

However, when the boy finally did hear someone approaching him from behind with quiet steps, it was too late. He hadn't had time to escape. He just felt strong arms wrapping around him vigorously, painfully, to the point that it felt like the air could not find its way to his lungs.

 _"No!"_ Will thought.

Will squealed terrified. The aggressor was squeezing him, pinning his arms to his sides so Will could not move. He lifted the boy a few inches off the floor and his feet were left dangling in the air. The aggressor took a few steps back, and with that he meant he was much stronger than Will, the boy would have no chance to fight him, the aggressor could easily carry Will and take him wherever he wanted to.

After that first moment of fright, Will knew he had to calm down. He could be small, but he would not let anyone hurt him again.

Will threw his head back, hitting the nose of the aggressor with the back of his head. Will heard a grunt of pain. The aggressor lost his balance for a moment, and Will's feet touched the ground again, but the aggressor didn't let Will go so easily.

Will struggled and managed to turn around so he could be facing the aggressor. Will's eyes widened in horror. He saw Webber, the Bad Man, smiling at him with that devilish smile of his.

First, Will felt fear, the cold fear of being in the presence of the man who had hurt him so much. But then Will felt anger. He would not let the monsters catch him again. He could fight now.

He managed to bring the aggressor down on the floor hooking his leg in one of the aggressor's legs and making him lose his balance. Will took the opportunity and straddled the aggressor's hips, pinning him on the floor.

No monster would hurt him again. Will would defeat the monster. Will would show him that he was no longer a child and that he could defend himself.

He raised his arm and aimed a punch.

"Will?!" A familiar voice gasped under the boy. "Will, it's me!"

Will blinked a few times, panting. His arm was still up, clenched fist ready to punch the monster until all that left was a bloody mess, but... wait a second... that… that was not a monster.

Hannibal, Hannibal was there. Everything was fine, he was safe.

When the boy realized the seriousness of what he was about to do, he paled.

"I’m sorry." Will said quietly lowering his arm and looking away. He was trembling slightly.

"It's alright." Hannibal said.

Hannibal sat down, Will started to get up, but the blond man held his wrist, keeping the boy where he was, on Hannibal's lap. To calm him down, Hannibal started to rub his hands on Will's thighs, his sides, his arms, and soon Will sighed and the tension seemed to have left his shoulders.

"Hey." Hannibal held Will's chin and lifted it up so that the boy could look at him. "What is bothering you?" Hannibal asked softly.

"I just..." Will hesitated "For a moment I thought you were... _him_." Will whispered.

Hannibal frowned. The doctor knew that Will sometimes got a little carried away during the self-defense lessons. He was still an extremely traumatized boy. Will told Hannibal that he saw the Bad Man sometimes, lurking in the shadows with hungry eyes.

"It's alright." Hannibal said comforting. "Our mind is a funny thing and likes to play tricks on us when we are scared. You're still getting used to have these lessons of self-defense that makes you remember the painful things that happened to you and I'm afraid I have pushed you too far, I'm sorry." Hannibal sighed. "Do you remember what I told you to do if you saw him again?"

Will nodded and took a deep breath.

_"I'm safe here. He is not real. He has no power over me. He can’t hurt me anymore."_

Will said these words like a prayer. During the therapy sessions, they tried to find a way to help Will deal with his fears and this little mantra seemed efficient enough. It grounded him on reality. Will seemed to be calming down again and Hannibal gave him a chaste kiss on the lips.

"Do you know why he can’t hurt you anymore? You are strong now, my little one. "

Will gave him a shy smile.

"Really?"

"Of course."

Will smiled and leaned over to kiss Hannibal deeper, but their noses collided and Hannibal let out a pained moan, probably his nose was still sore because of the blow that Will had given him.

"I'm sorry." Will said with his low, childish voice, and a shy smile. He looked at Hannibal with those big eyes of his and it was so cute. “Can I _kiss you better_?”

“Immediately, my sweet little boy." Hannibal whispered before taking Will's lips in a passionate kiss.

The boy wrapped his arms around Hannibal's neck and let the blond man take what was rightfully his. But then they rolled over the floor. Will let out a surprised yelp when he found himself lying on his back and Hannibal on top of him, pinning him on the floor with one hand on each side of his head. The doctor looked at the boy with hungry eyes and smiled devilishly and Will felt like a prey again, but in a totally different way - if you know what I mean.

Hannibal leaned forward, getting closer. Will held his breath for a moment, anticipating what was to come. When Hannibal was so close he could count Will's eyelashes, he said with a smile:

"Try to escape."

"What?!” Will gaped “That's not fair! I was not expecting!" Will protested.

"Nobody expects to be assaulted, my dear. You have to learn to deal with your surprise and think fast. Now try to escape. "

Will huffed but did what he was told.

****

Later that night, Will and Hannibal were in the bathtub. Hannibal was leaning with his back against the tub, the boy was settled between his legs, with his back leaning against the muscular chest of the older man. The hot water was soothing their aching muscles after the strenuous self-defense lesson and the scent of lavender in the air was relaxing for them both.

Hannibal caressed Will's chest with one hand, and with the other he played with the boy's wet curls. Will felt so relaxed. All the stress of a few moments ago had been forgotten.

"You did very well tonight. I'm proud of you." Hannibal whispered to Will’s ear and kissed his nape.

Will sighed happily and leaned against his lover's chest; letting his hands soothe him. If Hannibal wanted to see Will happy he just had to tell the kid how proud he was of the boy. Marks and habits of Will's days as a slave were hard to break. But the doctor found it endearing sometimes, the way Will liked to be praised. Hannibal could do it all night long, telling the boy how beautiful he was, how special he was, that he was a good boy, and Hannibal wouldn't be lying.

However, there were more important matters to be discussed. Hannibal took a deep breath. He was avoiding it for a while, but he thought it was about time to take one step further toward Will's recovery.

"You know, I think you should take Brutus for a walk tomorrow... by yourself."

"What?" Will said in disbelief. The boy turned around on Hannibal's arms - somewhat awkwardly for they were still in the tub -but managed to twist his torso enough to look directly at Hannibal. "You mean… _alone_?"

"Yes. Can you do that for me?"

Will alone out there without Hannibal to protect him? Will felt extremely insecure. One thing was walking on the streets or at the Mall with Hannibal at his side; quite another thing was doing it alone.

"I..." Will stammered. "I don’t know..."

"Will. You’re a young man. You’re not a child; you are not a slave, much less my shadow. You can go wherever you want without me by your side. You are free.”

“You don’t want me around anymore?” Will asked, his eyes filling with tears.

Hannibal had a strange expression on his face, Will could see it, it was like if he were fighting something inside him.

"Of course I want you, silly boy. I wish I could keep you here, locked only for myself to see, surrounded by all the comfort the money can buy. I could give you this, Will, and you would never have to worry about anything for the rest of your life, because would I take care of you. I would do it gladly, Will, but it would be like to put you in a cage again. An expensive and comfortable cage, but a cage nonetheless. And you would never forgive me. "

"Hanni..." Will looked away.

Here we go again, the insecurity, the self-doubt…the fear.

"The world outside is scary when you're not around." Will pouted.

"If someone bite you, you bite them back. It’s simple as that." Hannibal smiled playfully and Will smiled too, the tension draining out of his face. "Besides, you are only taking the dog for a walk around the block, it's not like you're going to the _North Pole_."

"North Pole?" Will looked at Hannibal confused.

"Oh dear, I think we should start with those geography lessons." Hannibal chuckled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!!!!  
> Please, Comment if you like!
> 
> PS - I'm taking prompts, so if you want me to fill your prompt just follow me on twitter and post it there. You can find me at https://twitter.com/NatOliverAO3  
> I'm waiting for you! ;)

**Author's Note:**

> Comments, remember?


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